Logo

We are proud of our twenty-year history of providing an opportunity for smaller or emerging companies all over the world to be noticed and achieve. Marcy Lab School Marcy Lab School is an independent, non-profit organization that is located in Brooklyn, New York, which aims to provide students with the most effective postsecondary learning experiences to help youngsters into fulfilling and meaningful jobs within the field of technology.

This is why we donated $100,000 to The Marcy Lab School as a part of our 2020 pledge to support organizations working to reduce the racial gap.

We talked to The Marcy Laboratory School's Executive Director Reuben Ogbonna II, about the ways in which the school is creating avenues for Fellows to develop their skills and pursue careers in the field of technology, without a four-year diploma.

: Marcy Lab is a quite new business, what did you choose to create the non-profit?

Reuben Ogbonna II: After spending 14 years serving students of color--along with my co-founder Maya Bhattacharjee-Marcantonio--in the charter and public school systems, we repeatedly watched as our former students with limitless potential slipped through the cracks of higher education. What isn't talked about in the media about the college experience in this country is that each year, thousands of highly capable, hardworking and talented students get accepted to the school they've always hoped to attend but aren't eligible to pay the cost of tuition or remain there until they graduate. We were astonished by the abysmal failure rate of "college promise" that left our students and their families in the grip of life-changing debt along with other unsolvable challenges.

We founded and operate Marcy Lab out of the belief that young people who are of colour, as well as in fact all young adults should have access to a more equal and equitable opportunity and opportunities that previously were only available only to students that had completed the four-year institution. Marcy Lab School Marcy Lab School offers a alternative to postsecondary education which has been reimagined and that is founded on the idea of providing lifelong economic opportunities as well as mobility to young adults looking to pursue a life-changing career in technology.

SQSP is described as a viable alternative to a four-year college degree for fellow students. What's the main reason why it's vital for you to know that The Marcy Lab offers this path to job?

ROThe difficulties I saw my students face in person were among the most significant barriers for children who are of different ethnicities. We realised that our educational system was failing to deliver on the promises of colleges that young people seek in terms of community, encouragement, academic relevance and the capability to be aligned with not only an industry but also the possibility of a better the future. It's the deliberate combination of these elements that form the basis of Marcy Lab and are some of the key aspects that help young adults gain confidence when they choose to take a different route.

To keep a promise, we ensure our Fellows will be ready to join the workforce following their 12-month training program as well as have the necessary skills to integrate their talents into teams that are fast-paced and contribute value from the first day. The Fellows acquire technical expertise by completing an industry-specific and educated curriculum that is adaptive and responsive to changing technological demands. And alongside building a strong technical background, our fellows take part in the Leadership & Development curriculum, focused on the growth of racial identities, gender equity in career development, as well as financial literacy. The curriculum includes readings by famous authors like James Baldwin, Michelle Alexander, Safiya Umoja Noble, and the late Dr. Beverly Tatum.

We're thrilled to share that The Marcy Lab School graduates are seeking and landing positions with higher salaries, which were restricted to students of colleges who have attended top four-year institutions. This is a double-win: We're not only seeing our classmates and their families pushed into situations of financial security, but it signals how companies are radically changing their hiring practices to accommodate as well as encourage those who aren't traditional workers.

SQSP: Could you tell us more about the impact that you've observed the impact of Marcy Lab School Marcy Lab School have on participants during and following the course?

ROEven after five years working in the field and watching the results, it's evident to me how revolutionary it is to watch our children get jobs that pay an average of $108,000 in annual salary when they are between 19 and 20 in one of the top highly globally competitive companies and with no loans. These young people are working alongside teams from organizations like The New York Times, JPMorgan, Cockroach Labs, Spotify and many more and increasing their earning at an average of nearly $75,000 within a single year, and also allowing them to contribute to their local communities by buying houses, helping the families of their employers as well as helping their families.

But, before our fellows are able to enter the workforce We watch them learn, transform and evolve in their pursuit of pushing themselves further than they've ever done in their pursuit of goals, and developing the confidence to recognize that they're an asset to every space they enter. Each day, they are more interested and determined to make a difference outside of the boundaries of Marcy and then their workplaces. It's through work with their teachers as well as their fellow classmates that they are continuously maintained in the knowledge of their abilities, knowledge and capabilities will give them the ability to eliminate old system of oppression by using their experiences and knowledge to develop tools that promote justice for all in addition to changes in society.

SQSP: What is the role that technology play in the overall success of the Marcy Lab program and its co-workers, both in terms of subject matter but as a way of directing the course?

RO:Our technology-based curriculum's performance relies on our strong relationship with our employer partners for providing a continuous feedback loop regarding the Fellows' technical and professional capabilities. Any areas of improvement that are relevant go straight back to our instructional team to make sure the quality of our material and be modified in response to changing needs for hiring as well as performance on the job.

The alignment of education and student performance has led to the development of brand new alliances for hiring businesses who recognize that these intimate connections could lead to better or more equal hiring results. A few highlights are:

Working with established companies to remove degree requirements to software developers. This includes the New York Times and . The companies have now hired our Fellows as well as other talent that isn't traditional.

Building a new Capstone curriculum of study in conjunction with J.P. Morgan Chase Asset and Wealth Management that is an expert in data engineering for back-end systems. We have designed the course we follow in our capstone class to meet their requirements and help prepare our Fellows for the constantly growing growth in analytics that are based on data.

SQSP What do you think are your vision for Marcy Lab School's future?

ROWhat is making me hopeful about Marcy Lab's future Marcy Lab as well as the future of the space that we're in the change taking place within the business world with companies changing their focus away from the requirement of degrees and focusing on hiring according to skills, that has opened an opportunity for businesses such as Marcy Lab to even exist.

I am seeing major employers all over the country like IBM and Barclays and partners like those, with an abundance of mid-career, early career as well as senior executives from the Marcy Lab School, similar the Stanford pipeline that is used for businesses located in the San Francisco Bay Area. After having gained experience and for these top companies, I am seeing the students eventually leave to start their own enterprises and paying the dividends by bringing on teams with the same experiences similar to the ones they had.

In the end, I view Marcy Lab as a part of a larger ecosystem of equitable pathways built specifically to help propel hundreds of students who excel in schools of color into jobs that break this cycle within the course of a single generation.

SQSP: How do people who are interested in Marcy Lab's purpose become in?

ROIf this mission and the work you do resonate with you, we urge you to be part of our community that grows. We are hoping to be a source of inspiration for others when we take part in the community! Three main avenues that new people can get involved in the movement:

Go to our Brooklyn campus within Industry City and meet first-hand the students working hard towards their goals, as well as the impressive team of professionals who move the entire process forward.

Join us to have to have the most enjoyable time of your life. share your expertise to our Fellows that are struggling to make it through the rigor of our one-year program to help them prepare for the job hunt in addition to their future. The community of volunteers serves as tutors, curriculum advisers, guests lecturers, as well in the capacity of recruiters. They are an integral part of our programme. It helps to ensure we have a curriculum aligned with industry standards while also ensuring the success of each of our Fellows.

Furthermore, donating to our cause allows us to ensure that this program is completely and without cost for our Fellows.

This post was first seen on here