OG INSPIRATION

Raushawna Price, known as the Giver of Awesomeness, is an Author, Coach, speaker, and radio personality. She is a fierce advocate for those who have experienced bullying. Her systematic and supportive approach to deep, personal exploration helps individuals identify the source of hurt, recover from the trauma,  and build confidence. Raushawna has a passion for helping people understand why bullies come into their lives and the lessons learned when they leave. Her popular iHeartRadioTM show, "AWESOMENESS IN ACTION", is a powerful platform for people to share their personal stories of overcoming adversity and changing negativity into awesomeness.  Raushawna is the former Senior Director for Talent Acquisition, a part of the Human Resources Department, for the 15th largest public school system in the country. Her experiences have provided the opportunity to work with renowned leaders from various organizations such as Shaw University, World Overcomers Christian Church, Prince Chapel A.M.E. Church, Renaissance West Community Initiative, General Mills, Inc. Rolls-Royce, Wake Count Public Schools, Education Pioneers: Emerging Human Capital Leaders Initiative and many more. She has also been a featured speaker with OneWomanTM Fearless Women's Summit and Academy.  

Raushawna Price holds a Bachelor's and Masters degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and Purdue University, respectively. She also holds a Masters Degree in Education Leadership. In this interview, Raushawna explains how her degree in industrial engineering has shaped how she runs her LLC today. All parts of the system are working together for the best.

Ever wonder what a traveling nurse is, or what it takes? A lot of people have heard the term, but do not exactly know what it means. Although, increasingly people are familiar with traveling nurses and have worked with them, either as a patient, or a coworker, on a regular basis. Why is this important? Because our guest on this podcast, Mr. Ankit Shukla is a traveling nurse, and he shares his story. As a traveling nurse who has worked all over the country with a multitude of different personalities, Mr. Ankit Shulkar is adept at adapting to change and being prepared for what life throws at him. He helps others realize the same. After becoming a traveling nurse, he has traveled to 10 states and worked in various healthcare facilities.  He shares with us many of his experiences all of which can be found in 3 books he has written to encourage readers to strive for a better life.  This podcast puts us into the shoes of a traveling nurse who finds the time and energy to invest in outside interests such as writing and public speaking.  To purchase any of his books, you can go to https://www.ankitshukla.org/

Middle school can be a tumultuous time. This is the time when social priorities outweigh academic ones. Sadly, students who form negative opinions of math and science often retain those biases – permanently. This is what we don't want for our S.T.E.M fields which are ever so changing and much-needed career paths that need these students.  For minority students, it's even more of a fall-off.  By the time students reach high school, many view science as “uninteresting, unimportant, and irrelevant to their lives.” But programs, career mentoring, parent involvement, and guidance in middle school can significantly help “connect the dots” between STEM and real-life making science and math feel relevant for kids. 

Dr. Odell Glenn talks with Mr. Johnathan Moore, who currently serves as a middle school assistant principal. Mr. Johnathan Moore holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Health and a Master in School Administration.  He discusses both majors and why he chose to change.  We also discuss why middle school is so crucial to succeeding in the sciences later on.  It takes the parent, the guidance counselor, the science and math teacher at the school to have knowledge on how to best navigate the child towards a clear pathway into a STEM high school.  Proper background courses in junior high school and high school could lead to college credit through AP courses later on.

Statistics concerning African Americans in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields show a clear need for growth. Black and white students across the country intend to pursue STEM degrees at similar rates, but black students in any STEM field struggle to achieve comparable representation in degree attainment. The increasing amount of African Americans studying and working in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields is revolutionary. Largely due to the efforts of the USA's historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), African Americans are entering their STEM degrees better equipped to thrive in college, to graduate, and to find successful careers. 

Dr. Odell Glenn interviews two graduates of HBCU's, namely, South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, SC and North Carolina A& T in a civil engineering technology student who graduated from South Carolina State University and a now Ph.D. candidate who graduated from North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, North Carolina.  Mr. Linewood Jones received a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering technology. He now has several years of experience in the field. He tells us of not only his experience but values the university and gives solid advance to others on pursuing goals and dreams.  Ph.D. candidate Zanshe Thompson is a graduate of both Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia, and North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro, North Carolina with a B.S. in chemical engineering. she too shares her journey, speaks well of her university, and empowers others.

Black and Hispanic workers continue to be underrepresented in the STEM workforce. Blacks makeup 11% of the U.S. workforce overall but represent 9% of STEM workers, while Hispanics comprise 16% of the U.S. workforce but only 7% of all STEM workers. And among employed adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher, blacks are just 7% and Hispanics are 6% of the STEM workforce.  These numbers are even lower if we look at women that both enroll and are employed in STEM.  Miss Bethlehem Mersa is a senior in mechanical engineering at The University of South Carolina. She has had 2 internships in the field and will be enrolling in graduate school pursuing a Master of Science in entrepreneurial engineering.  She shares with us why she pursued the field of mechanical engineering. She gives us concrete experiences on how to cope with being not only a female but a minority female in this competitive field.  She encourages others with a passion to pursue and prepare for STEM.

What do air, cars, laptops, plants, knee-replacements, and lunch have in common? They all can be and are packaged! Anyone whose major is "packaging science" learns all about the design, engineering, science, innovation, research, and business that make up this diverse industry. Mr. Dominic Boyd is a graduate of Clemson University and has worked in this field for 5 years. He educates us on his education as well as his experience in the field.

Mechanical engineering is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science to design, analyze, manufacture, and maintain mechanical systems. It is one of the oldest and broadest of the engineering branches. Mr. Khadeem Dennis is a senior at The University of South Carolina and has interned with a company. He shares experience on how his preparation has and is preparing him for a bright future tomorrow.

Dr. Odell Glenn gives the audience a synopsis of various careers that are in need. He challenges the audience to do what they love and not for money, however, early planning and preparation are crucial.  College costs are ever-increasing and if not planned correctly, one can waste a lot of time and money. Although the university is a time of developing creativity and self-discovery, a major should be declared by at least the sophomore year of college.   This podcast gives advice on understanding this early on so that a problem will not arise late.  One should also allow themselves to evolve and experience as Dr. Glenn shares his experiences.

Preparing a child for a S.T.E.M career early can make the pathway to a career in science and/or engineering much easier later on to navigate. After 4 engineering degrees, Dr. Glenn gives 10 tips to apply to make the transition smoother. The critical years are middle school.  Middle school is important because the transition to high school could make a difference. If the child can get to high school and take AP (Advanced Placement)  Calculus, AP (Advanced Placement) Biology, AP (Advanced Placement) Chemistry, and AP (Advanced Placement) Physics, he or she could at least be best prepared to receive college credit in their freshman year of college.  Taking a child to see what it is like to work as an engineer or doctor early on could help with career choices later. In addition, a team of mentors from various backgrounds helps tremendously.  Listen in and take notes on the 10 tips provided.