NSU College of Education hosts Boys of Purpose Mentoring College Tour

(Tahlequah, Okla.)-- Northeastern State Universitys College of Education hosted the Boys of Purpose Male Initiative Mentoring College Tour on April 7 on its Tahlequah campus. This event hosted 19 sixth-grade boys for a tour of the campus with their chaperons, a lunch at the University Center and a hands-on activity in the College of Educations Robotics Lab.

Jeneshia Hicks, NSU graduate student, planned this campus tour and mentoring seminar for her Master of Science in Counseling practicum hours. Hicks says that during her internship for her degree she was fortunate to focus on college and career readiness for the fourth- through sixth-grade children in Tulsa Public Schools.

It is our responsibility to keep young people on track and to bridge the gap between where they are now and the future of possibilities. Equipping students to take ownership of their education and consequently, their futures is the greatest gift we as society can give, Hicks said.

Hicks recognized that as a young girl she was the recipient of efforts to push young girls to pursue their education and these efforts were not lost on her. But, Hicks saw a gap in preparing young boys for college and careers in her internship. She says this is why she chose to bring a group of young boys for the mentoring event.

Sixth graders are in elementary and are preparing to transition to middle school. This is a critical moment for young adolescents and early intervention helps them get on track and stay on track to graduate and complete post-secondary education or training.

During the hands-on part of the mentoring event, the boys participated in robotics activities in the Cappi Wadley Center. Here they split into two groups where one group learned about making connections between the video game, Minecraft, and real life and the other decoded messages with a handmade decoding gadget.

Brandon Baldridge, NSU undergraduate student, taught his students to set up redstone mechanics in Minecraft. Mr. Brandon, as the students called Baldridge, showed the boys how to set up lights, redstone wiring, repeaters, and switches in order to make a connection between the games mechanics for lights and the real worlds mechanics for wiring and electricity.

Dr. Tobi Thomspon, assistant professor and director of the Cappi Wadley Center, and Kirk Norrid, Regional Support Manager for the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation, used one of the chapters in the book Nick and Teslas Secret Agent Gadget Battle to help the group create a code wheel. After following the instructions, the boys were able to crack codes using their gadget creation.

NSUs mission is to increase critical thinking and problem solving skills through the use of robotics, Barbara Fuller, director of the Robotics Academy of Critical Engagement said.

One thing I consider a privilege in my job is to custom design a workshops for students. The Boys of Purpose were incredibly engaged and excited. I think this will be something they remember for the rest of their lives.

This mentoring event was made possible by Hicks event planning and a grant that Dr. Allyson Watson, professor and director of Teaching and Urban Reform Network, wrote out of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Teacher Connection Office. The grant is called Making College Connections: Increasing the Teacher Pipeline in Urban Schools.

For more information regarding this program, contact Watson atleggett@nsuok.edu.