Youth experience ‘whole new world’ at U of I’s Engineering Open House

Ten years ago, the city of Springfield, Illinois, and Sangamon County realized a need for more local minority and disadvantaged business owners to participate in the Springfield Rail Improvements Project. As a result of the work to advance that effort, a program known as the Grow Our Own Minority Participation Program bloomed in 2013 and has flourished with a long-term investment in Springfield-area minority youth.

A significant tradition of the Grow Our Own program each spring is a bus trip for area middle and high school minority students to the Engineering Open House (EOH) on The Grainger College of Engineering’s campus at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). The EOH is the college’s annual, student-run event highlighting engineering, science, technology and innovation. 

On April 1, the program hosted its eighth trip to the EOH. Employees from Hanson and mentors from organizations, including the Springfield Urban League and the Springfield chapter of Frontiers International, accompanied 20 youth on the daylong excursion, which enabled the students to explore the diverse world of technology on display at the university’s annual two-day event. The group experienced hands-on exhibits that varied from virtual reality headsets to a robot with arms that mimic human movements.

For eighth-grader Mario Berg, who attends Franklin Middle School in Springfield, the EOH opened his eyes to the work that goes into becoming an engineer. “It’s interesting to learn about different types of engineering,” he said. “It helped me realize I want to be a civil engineer.”

Quindonn Holmes, a sophomore at Southeast High School in Springfield who called the interactive robotic arms his favorite experience of the day, said he’s attracted to the creative solutions found through engineering and would like to pursue a career in mechanical engineering. “I want to make things easier for the older people in my life,” he said.

“Having the chance to learn as I build things with my own hands is the best part of this day,” said Lucas Smith, a 10^th grader at Glenwood High School in Chatham, Illinois. “After seeing this, I might consider engineering — especially robotics.”

Hanson’s Chairman and CEO Sergio “Satch” Pecori, who accepted The Grainger College of Engineering Alumni Award for Distinguished Service for 2023 on March 31, joined a group photo with the students and spoke to them during a break in the day’s activities. He described his journey to receiving his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and his master’s in geotechnical civil engineering at UIUC.

“Don’t be afraid to work hard,” he advised the group, adding that they shouldn’t be discouraged if they struggle along the way, because the path to success isn’t easy.

According to Teresa Mazzini, a talent development consultant for Hanson, the EOH shows students what they can accomplish if they focus on school and develop their study skills. “They were able to talk to students in the trenches of college life and learn what to expect and how to prepare themselves for the rigors of earning a degree while living on their own.”

Joshua Sekyere, a senior engineering major and a member of the National Society of Black Engineers’ UIUC Chapter, spoke to the group about being a minority at a university with few black engineering students and offered advice about preparing for college-level engineering courses. The GOO students seized the opportunity to ask him questions, such as how to keep up with college-level responsibilities and which skills are necessary for dorm life. 

Springfield Urban League Senior Program Manager Larry Hemingway Sr., who also serves as the president of the Springfield chapter of Frontiers International and is a long-time mentor and chaperone for the annual EOH trip, called the experience “a phenomenal eye-opener for the students and an inspiration to undertake the effort that will help them realize their dreams.” He added that participating in the trip exposes minority students to the various types of engineering and shows them one of the profession’s draws: solving problems.

“Spending a day on a university campus, engaging with young people pursuing post-secondary education, encourages our students to focus on their academic success and motivates them to become leaders in their community,” Larry added.

The sky is the limit, from the perspective of sixth grader Cameron Lott of Lincoln Magnet School in Springfield: “The coolest thing I saw today was the virtual reality exhibit. I’d heard of it but never experienced it before, and it’s a whole new world.”