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We're extremely happy with our 20-year tradition of offering a platform for small and aspiring entrepreneurs all over the world to make a mark and be successful. Marcy Lab School Marcy Lab School is a private, non-profit institution that is located in Brooklyn, New York, that aims to provide students with a top postsecondary education and tertiary education that can guide youngsters who have been overlooked to rewarding and fulfilling careers in the technology sector.

This is why we the gift of $100,000 to the Marcy Lab School as a part of our 2020 promise to support organizations working toward the reduction of racial inequality.

We spoke with The Marcy Lab School's Executive Director Reuben Ogbonna II, about how the school is able to give Fellows the opportunity to discover their talents to pursue careers in the area of technologies and in other fields whether or not they have a degree.

: Marcy Lab is a fairly new organization, why you decided to start 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. One of the stories which isn't often told about college in America is that each year, thousands of promising, hardworking students get admitted to the school they've always wanted to attend but will not be able to afford it or even continue up to. We were shocked at the low success percentage of "college promises" that left our college students and their families with life-altering debt and other seemingly unsurmountable hurdles.

In the year 2019, we joined together to create and manage Marcy Lab out of the belief that children who identify as black as well as every other youngsters, need the chance to gain greater level of fairness and equity to the possibilities and options once only afforded for people who were enrolled in the four-year institution. The Marcy Lab School offers a alternative to post-secondary education that has been reimagined, based by our founding mission of creating lifelong economic flexibility as well as options for students that want to enter careers in the ever-changing field of technology.

SQSP can be described as a viable alternative to a college education for the students. What is the reason it's important for you to know that The Marcy Lab offers this path towards job?

ROThe issues I observed my students confront firsthand were one of the biggest obstacles faced by children from a minority. It was evident that the postsecondary systems in our country didn't live up to the promise of college that which the vast majority of students want: community, support, academic relevance, and the capacity to connect with not just a job but a career. It's the intentional mix of these factors which form the basis of Marcy Lab and are some crucial factors that provide young adults the courage to explore a path that is not traditional.

To fulfill a new promise, we ensure the Fellows possess the necessary skills to the work that follows our 12-month course, prepared and equipped to join teams that are fast-paced and contribute to the company from the beginning. Our Fellows develop technical abilities by completing an industry-adjusted and educated program that is adaptable and responsive to the ever-changing demands of the technology industry. In addition to gaining a robust technical skillset, our Fellows are engaged with taking part in their Leadership & Development curriculum, that focuses on racial identity and gender equality in addition to professional readiness, and financial literacy. The curriculum includes books by renowned authors like James Baldwin, Michelle Alexander, Safiya Umoja Noble, and Dr. Beverly Tatum.

We're very proud to report that Marcy Lab School graduates are searching for jobs and landing them with high salaries previously reserved only for students of four-year colleges which are highly competitive. This has two implications: Not only are our students and their families propelled into positions of secure and financial security, but also it shows how companies have drastically changed hiring practices to attract as well as retain those who don't fit into traditional categories.

SQSP: What can you tell us about the impact you've observed in the Marcy Lab School have on those students attending the school?

ROEven after five years working on this project and observing the outcomes, it's not lost on me just how inspiring it could be to see our amazing young talent assume roles that average $108,000 in annual earnings for between 19 and 20 at several of the biggest and most profitable firms around the world without debt. The young talent is employed by teams from firms such as The New York Times, JPMorgan, Cockroach Labs, Spotify as well as others which is increasing their earnings by around $75,000 in a single year, and also allowing them to give back to their community by purchasing homes as well as helping family-owned businesses, and supporting their families.

Yet, long before our Fellows join the workforce and enter the workforce, we observe them grow, change and grow as individuals striving to go further than they ever before to realize their ambitions and developing the courage to believe that they can add value to each room they enter. Each day, they become always more curious and determined to make change beyond the boundaries of Marcy and eventually, their working environments. Through the work they do with their teachers as well as with each other, they remain with the understanding that their skills, talents and capacities will allow people to dismantle the systems that have been a source of inequality for centuries, ultimately using these knowledge and education to develop strategies for social benefit as well as to make changes to society.

SQSP: What part does technology play in the overall achievement that is Marcy Lab? Marcy Lab program and its colleagues, both as expert subject matter experts, as well as in the running of the program?

ROOur technologically-focused curriculum's success is dependent on the close partnership we have with our colleagues on the side of employers for providing a continuous feedback loop regarding our fellows skills and their readiness for professional work. Relevant areas for improvement go directly to our instructional teams to ensure that our programs can grow and change in order to satisfy the needs of employers as well as in-the-field performances.

The alignment of the education curriculum and the performance of students is resulting in increased hiring agreements with companies which recognize the fact that these close connections can lead to equal or better hiring results. Highlights include:

In direct collaboration with established businesses for the purpose of reducing the requirements of degrees for software engineers. This includes The New York Times and . These companies have since hired our Fellows as well as other talent that isn't traditional.

The development of a brand fresh Capstone project curriculum in conjunction with J.P. Morgan Chase Asset and Wealth Management and J.P. Morgan Chase Asset and Wealth Management, which is a specialist in backend engineering for our capstone course to satisfy their needs and prepare our Fellows for the constantly growing increase in the use of data analytics.

SQSP What hope do you have regarding the future direction of Marcy Lab School?

RO:What is making me be optimistic about the future of Marcy Lab and the potential of the space that we're currently in is the change happening within the business world, as firms changing away from the requirement of degrees in favor of hiring on the basis of skills that opens up the possibility for companies like Marcy Lab to even exist.

I've noticed some major employers across in the United States such as IBM and Barclays as well as partners such as which, that have an abundance of young professional, mid-level and high-level leaders who are alumni of The Marcy Lab School, much like the Stanford University pipeline that connects firms in the San Francisco Bay Area. When they acquire knowledge and expertise at these top corporations I am able to imagine our graduates departing to start their own companies and paying them back by bringing in teams with the same backgrounds that they did.

The bottom line is that I consider Marcy Lab as a part in a broader program of fair paths that was created specifically for the purpose of guiding hundreds of young people who are successful in schools of color to careers that can end poverty within a single generation.

SQSP: How can individuals who are interested in the Marcy Lab School's mission become involved?

ROIf the mission of the organization and the work you do are something that resonates with you and you are interested in joining us We invite you to join us as part of our expanding community. We're hopeful of encouraging others to join us in this mission! We frequently share three options for those who are brand new to us, and would like to be involved:

Explore our Brooklyn campus in Industry City and meet first-hand the aspiring young people who have dedicated their lives to their goals and the amazing team who is pushing the whole process forward.

Volunteer to volunteer your time and offer your expertise to our Fellows who are navigating the challenges that come with our program for a full year, prepare for the job hunt in the future, and go beyond. The volunteers in our community serve as tutors, advisors to the curriculum as well as guest lecturers and recruiters and constitute an integral component of our program. They help keep our curriculum industry-oriented in addition to ensuring that we are all satisfied of the Fellows.

And lastly, donating to our cause will allow us to keep this program free of tuition for our participants.

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