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We are extremely proud of our 20 year history of being a launchpad for startups and small companies all over the world to be noticed and be successful. The Marcy Lab School is a private, non-profit institution located in Brooklyn, New York, that aims to provide an exceptional post-secondary education experiences to help youngsters into rewarding and meaningful careers in the tech sector.

This is why we donated $100,000 to The Marcy Lab School as a part of our 2020 commitment to aid organizations in eliminating racial disparities.

We had a conversation with the Marcy Lab School's Executive Director Reuben Ogbonna II, about how The Marcy Lab School is helping to create possibilities for Fellows to discover their talents and land careers in tech, without a four-year degree.

: Marcy Lab is a relatively new company, so why 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 doesn't get told about college in the United States is that each year, hundreds of hard-working, highly promising students get accepted to the university of their dreams but not have the money to attend or persist to graduation. We were astonished at the widespread failure of "college promise" which left our college students and their families in life-altering debt and other seemingly unsolvable challenges.

In 2019, we formed and run Marcy Lab out of the conviction that the children of our society of color, and frankly everyone else youngsters, need the opportunity to have a more fair, equitable access to the opportunities and possibilities that were previously only available to those who completed a four-year college. The Marcy Lab School offers a alternative to postsecondary education that has been reimagined and founded on our original mission of creating lifelong economic mobility and choice for students who are interested in life-changing careers in tech.

SQSP: The program is described as a possible alternative to a four-year college degree for fellow students. Why is it crucial to you that The Marcy Lab offers this path to employment?

ROThe challenges I witnessed my students confront firsthand were one of the biggest hurdles for young learners from communities of colour. The reality was that the postsecondary system in our country was failing to deliver on the promises of college many young people want in terms of community, encouragement, academic relevance, and alignment with not just an occupation but also a future. It's the intentional combination of these elements that form the foundation of Marcy Lab and are some of the defining factors that give young adults the confidence to choose an alternative path.

In order to fulfill our new promise, we ensure our Fellows are undeniably ready to enter the workforce after the 12-month course, and are equipped with the skills to embed their skills into fast-paced teams that add value on the first day. The Fellows acquire technical expertise from an industry-aligned and informed program that is flexible and responsive to the constantly changing technological demands. And alongside building a strong technical skill set, our Fellows are engaged in our Leadership & Development curriculum, which explores racial identity development, gender equity, professional preparation, and financial literacy, with the works of renowned authors such as James Baldwin, Michelle Alexander, Safiya Umoja Noble, and the late Dr. Beverly Tatum.

We're very proud to report that The Marcy Lab School graduates are in the race to secure lucrative jobs that are typically only available to graduates from competitive four-year colleges. The impact here is twofold It's not just that our students and their families propelled into positions of secure financial stability, but it shows the way in which companies are radically changing their hiring policies to accept, encourage, and keep the non-traditional workforce.

SQSP: Can you tell us more about the impact that you've observed the Marcy Lab School have on the students who attend the program?

RO:Even after five years in the field I have not lost on me just how revolutionary it is to watch our incredible young people step into roles that average $108,000 in annual earnings between 19 and 20 in one of the top highly competitive corporations in the world and with no loans. They're contributing to teams in companies such as The New York Times, JPMorgan, Cockroach Labs, Spotify, , and others which is increasing their potential earnings at a rate of nearly $75,000 within a single year, and also allowing them to invest back into their local communities by buying houses, helping their families' businesses, and supporting their families.

But even prior to when our Fellows break into the industry, we watch as they develop, change, and grow as individuals, working more than they have ever been to realize their ambitions and developing the confidence that they are a valuable asset to every room they walk into. Each day, they are more curious and more keen to see change go beyond the boundaries of Marcy and, eventually, their own workplaces. They work alongside their instructors and with each other that they are continuously aware that their skills, talents and abilities will enable individuals to break down old systems of injustice through their experience as well as their training to create strategies for social benefit as well as for changes in society.

SQSP: What part does tech play in the successful operation of the Marcy Lab program and its fellows--both as subject matter and in running the program?

RO:Our technology-based curriculum's performance is dependent on the symbiotic partnership with our partners from the employer side for establishing a continuous feedback loop regarding our Fellows' technological and professional skills. Relevant areas for improvement go straight back to our instructional team so that our curriculum will evolve and be modified as needed to meet the demands of employers and on-the-job performance.

This alignment in the curriculum and performance of students has led to the establishment of new partnerships for hiring with businesses who recognize that these close connections can result in better or more equal hiring results. Some highlights include:

Directly working with established firms to remove degree requirements for software engineers. This includes The New York Times and . These companies have since hired our Fellows along with other talents that aren't conventional.

Building a new Capstone course of study together with J.P. Morgan Chase Asset and Wealth Management who has a specialization in backend engineering of data course for our capstone phase to meet their needs as well as prepare our Fellows to take on the ever-growing increase in analytics based on data.

SQSP How do you see your goals for Marcy Lab School's future?

ROWhat is making me feel optimistic regarding the future of Marcy Lab and the potential of the space that we work in is the changes happening within the corporate world in the wake of companies moving away from the requirement of degrees and towards hiring based on skills, which has unlocked the potential for companies like Marcy Lab to even exist.

I see major employers across the country, from IBM and Barclays to major partners such as  the one I work for, with a significant number of mid-career, early career and senior executives who came from the Marcy Lab School, similar to Stanford University's pipeline to businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area. After gaining experience and expertise at these elite businesses, I am seeing our students eventually launching their own businesses and starting their own business as well as transferring the wealth through hiring teams that have similar experiences as the ones they did.

Finally, I view Marcy Lab as a part of a larger system of fair pathways that was created specifically to help propel hundreds of students who excel in school from communities of color to careers that will break cycles of poverty in one generation.

SQSP: How can individuals interested in Marcy Lab School's mission be involved?

RO:If the mission of this organization and activities resonate with your and you are interested in joining us, we invite you to become a part of our community that is growing. We're hoping that we'll help others be inspired as they join us in the movement! We frequently share three options for people who are new to join us in getting involved:

Go to Our Brooklyn campus located in Industry City and meet first-hand the children and teens that are dedicating their lives to their ambitions and the impressive team that moves it all ahead.

You can volunteer to give your time, and share your knowledge with our Fellows who are navigating the rigorous requirements of our one-year course to prepare them for job searches and go on to other. Our volunteer community serves as curriculum advisors, mentors as well as guest lecturers and recruiting partners. They are an essential part of our program. They help keep our curriculum industry-oriented as well as ensuring the overall achievement of every one member of our fellows.

In the end, donating to our work means we are able to keep this program completely tuition-free for our fellows.