The L.E.A.D Program Prepares Tomorrow’s Engineering Leaders
The Leadership, Education, and Development Program (LEAD) is a four-week program designed to introduce students of color and other underrepresented groups to important areas of business. The program began at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and has become a nationwide program existing at 10 other colleges.
Other business schools LEAD partners with are Stanford University and the Tuck School at Dartmouth College. Since the program began, more than 4,500 students have become alumni and reached the highest levels in business and management.
LEAD began 29 years ago and has provided opportunities for over 7,500 students through its programs and summer business institutes. Seeing the need to expand its reach to recruit more students into the areas of science and engineering, LEAD in 2008 created LEAD for Engineering to respond to the high demand for students in the business program interested in engineering.
The program recruits 10th and 11th graders from all over the country to participate in a dynamic 3-week residential summer program occurring on a college campus or university. This year students received an opportunity to participate in the summer program on the campuses of The University of California Berkeley, in California’s sunny Bay Area. Programs were also held at the University of Virginia and the University of Michigan.
LEAD’s goal is to reach 570 students annually from the campuses of seven top engineering schools. Last year the program held its summer program at Berkley, and the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Known as its Summer Engineering Institute (SEI), the SEI Programs are geared to provide hands-on learning for high-potential African American, Hispanic, Native American, underrepresented Asian and economically disadvantaged students. Students learn from top-notched college faculty and receive support from corporate sponsors.
For more information and to find out more about when programs are occurring visit LEAD at: http://engineering.leadprogram.org/