Ken Hecht will represent the National STEM Honors Society at the upcoming Thurgood Marshall Center Trust event. This upcoming event is entitled “Student Transformations,” and panelists will be discussing STEM-partnership models, college preparation, and academic policy.
According to the TMCT website, their mission is to educate and empower their community to chase equality, equity, and justice. They believe in the power of collaboration and relationship cultivation with professional, local, and faith-based partners alike. As a part of their mission, TCMT implements educational programs to help students overcome obstacles and celebrate their diversity.
“I am so very honored to have been asked to participate in the Thurgood Marshall Center Trust Annual Meeting as a panelist and speaker,” says NSTEM™ President Ken Hecht. “It speaks to how important the top leadership at the TMCT believe in the importance of STEM for the underserved populations that they are committed to serve!”
Dr. Rick Lee, Vice Chair of TCMT, is a part of the NSTEM™ Advisory Council and personally invited Hecht to the event. He plans to emphasize that STEM education can start as early as kindergarten, but even more importantly, that it can transcend career and “last a lifetime!” Hecht’s speech will compare athletics to academics. Many parents encourage sports as early as kindergarten, and he doesn’t believe STEM should be any different.
Ken Hecht remembers discovering his passion for STEM in his college career. He was completely unaware of the educational opportunities available to him at the time. In his opinion, he was lucky to have made this discovery at all, but this isn’t what he envisions for the future. Hecht, and NSTEM™ , believe no student should have to be lucky in order to discover their passion for STEM subjects.
“A number of decades ago, there was no girls soccer in the U.S.,” he says. “And now, to think that first grade soccer is not available to girls? Preposterous! That is exactly what we are going to do for STEM Education.”
Due to COVID-19 concerns, the Student Transformation event was rescheduled. It was originally planned for September 10th from 4pm-6pm. Currently, the new date is undecided, but we are excitedly waiting for its announcement!
Written by: Emily Hyser
September 14, 2021
References:
- Thurgood Marshall Center Trust Official Website: tmcsh.org
- Ken Hecht, Virtual Interview