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We are happy to be part of our 20-year history of providing a platform for entrepreneurs and small businesses across the globe to make a mark and succeed. Marcy Lab School Marcy Lab School is a nonprofit organization located within Brooklyn, New York, that aims to provide students with a high-quality postsecondary education that will help them to get overlooked teens onto rewarding and meaningful careers in the technology sector.

That's why gave $100,000 to the Marcy Lab School as a part of our 2020 pledge to help organizations that work towards reducing racial inequities.

We spoke to the Marcy Lab School's executive director Reuben Ogbonna II, about the ways in which the school can give Fellows the chance to explore their potential and find jobs in the tech industry and other areas, whether or not they have having a formal college education.

: Marcy Lab is a quite new organisation, what did you choose to create this 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 hear about the college experience in this country is that every year, a ton of highly talented, hard-working students are accepted into the college they've always wanted to attend, but won't have the opportunity to attend it, or even go to graduate. We were shocked by the abysmal failure rate of "college promises" that has put the families of our college students financial binds that could change their lives along with other insurmountable obstacles.

In 2019, we joined forces to create and now lead Marcy Lab out of the conviction that the children of our society of color, as well as everyone else's young person, should have the chance to gain equal and fair access to the possibilities and opportunities once only afforded for those who had attended a four-year college. The Marcy Lab School offers a alternative to postsecondary education that has been rethought and rooted in our founding goal of fostering lifelong economic opportunities and mobility for the youngsters who want to pursue life-changing careers in tech.

SQSP: This program can be described as an alternative to a four-year college degree for students. Do you think it is essential the fact that The Marcy Lab offers this route to finding a job?

RO:The challenges I witnessed my students face firsthand were the main obstacles faced by children of colour. We realized that our post-secondary system did not live up to the college promise that most young people seek with regards to community, the encouragement of academic excellence as well as the capacity to connect with not just the job market but also with the possibility of a better future. It's the conscious mixture of these components that form the foundation of Marcy Lab and are some important elements that help young people with confidence in taking a different path.

In order to fulfill our promise We guarantee that our Fellows have the skills to work after our 12-month course, equipped and equipped to join their skills into teams that are fast-paced and add to the company from the first day. They acquire the technical knowledge through an industry-aligned, well-informed program that is flexible and adaptable to ever-changing requirements of the technology industry. Alongside gaining a solid technological skill set the Fellows are also involved of their Leadership & Development curriculum, that focuses on the growth of racial identities and gender equality, as well as the ability to be prepared for professional life, as well as the significance of knowledge of finances. It is accomplished through the readings of renowned writers such as James Baldwin, Michelle Alexander, Safiya Umoja Noble, and Dr. Beverly Tatum.

We're extremely proud to announce that Marcy Lab School graduates are competing for and securing high-paying jobs which are normally restricted to students who attended prestigious four-year colleges. It's a double win. Not only are our fellows and their families are propelled into jobs that provide financial security, but it signals the ways employers are rethinking the way they hire to draw, encourage, and keep non-traditional talent.

SQSP: Could you tell us a bit more about the effect you've seen Marcy Lab School's influence Marcy Lab School have on its students during and following the program?

ROEven five years later, after a decade in the process and observing the results, I'm not able to ignore the extent of innovation seeing our youths take on roles that offer an average of 108,000 each year, which is the average salary for 19, 20 and 21 at some of the most successful businesses around the world that do not have the burden of credit card debt. These young people are working with teams at companies like The New York Times, JPMorgan, Cockroach Labs, Spotify and many more and increasing their earnings potential on average by nearly $75,000 over the course of an entire year. They are also able to give back to the local community by purchasing houses, helping their families' companies, and supporting their families.

Prior to the time our Fellows enter the workforce, we watch as they develop, change, and evolve as people who push themselves further than they've ever been to reach their dreams and gaining confidence that they can add value to each and every place they go. Each day, they are motivated and more determined to create change beyond the walls of Marcy and ultimately their personal workplaces. They work alongside their instructors and colleagues to remain grounded in the reality the fact that their abilities, knowledge and talents will help them to break down old structures that perpetuate injustice. They will ultimately use this knowledge and experience to devise tools for social justice as well as to achieve social change.

SQSP: What role does technology play in the success functioning of the Marcy Lab program and its co-participants as both participants and in the direction of the program?

RO:Our technologically-centered curriculum's success relies on our strong relationship with our employers partners in creating a constant feedback loop on our Fellows' technical and professional capabilities. The areas that need improvement are sent directly to our instructional teams so that our materials will grow and change according to the needs of hiring as well as performance on the job.

The alignment between the curriculum and performance of students is resulting in increased contracts for hiring with employers that acknowledge that strong relationships can lead to the same or better hiring results. The following are some highlights:

We work directly with established businesses to eliminate degree requirements of software engineers. These include newspapers like the New York Times and . We have also enlisted our Fellows and different talent outside of the traditional.

We are currently developing a brand new Capstone project curriculum in conjunction together with J.P. Morgan Chase Asset and Wealth Management which is a specialist in education in back-end engineering for our capstone period to meet their requirements in addition to preparing our Fellows for the industry's ever-growing expansion in the field in data analysis.

SQSP What do you think are your goals for Marcy Lab School's future?

ROWhat makes me optimistic regarding the future of Marcy Lab as well as the future of the spaces which we operate in are what is happening in the world of business, with companies moving away from the need of degrees, and moving towards employing employees with skills that have unlocked the potential of organizations such as Marcy Lab to even exist.

I'm seeing big employers from across the United States such as IBM and Barclays and even partner companies like  having large numbers of early career, mid-level and senior executives who came from the Marcy Lab School, similar the Stanford pipeline that is used for companies that are located in San Francisco's Bay Area. As they gain experience and knowledge within these elite companies I'm seeing our graduates later on branching out to create their own companies and paying it forward through hiring teams that have similar backgrounds to those who they collaborated with.

To conclude I view Marcy Lab as a part of a larger network of pathways for equitable development specifically designed to help propel hundreds of students who excel in school who are from a minority into careers that will break cycles of poverty within one generation.

SQSP: How can people who are interested in Marcy Lab School's work be involved?

ROIf If this cause and its activities are a match for you We encourage you to be part of our growing community. We wish to see others be inspired as they take part for this mission! We frequently share three options that new members can take to be involved:

Go to our Brooklyn campus in Industry City and meet first-hand the young and talented people that are unstoppable in achieving their goals and the amazing team that pushes the whole way.

Donate the time of your life and share your knowledge with our Fellows who are navigating the hurdles of our one-year program and prepare for the job hunt in addition to their future. The community of volunteers serves as curriculum advisors, mentors and tutors and guests lecturers, recruiters and is essential to the success of the program. They help ensure that our curriculum is industry-focused as well as ensuring the achievement of every one student.

Finally, donating to our efforts means that we will be capable of continuing this project with no tuition fees for our students.

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