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Student Remarks

Nicholas Pearce 7: February 5, 2004; Running Time: 9:06

About the Lecture

About the Lecture

Nicholas Pearce is a proud advocate of programs that help young people from urban areas transition into higher education. He has not only benefited from such programs, but has given back through his participation as a volunteer, mentor, and speaker. As a high schooljunior, he attended MIT's six-week summer program, Minority Introduction to Engineering, Entrepreneurship and Science (MITE2S). "It gave me a quick snapshot of the dreams I could pursue," said Pearce. It was a life-changing experience for him -- one that he wishes were available to many more students. As an MIT undergraduate, he served as an instructor and mentor to more than 100 Boston-area public high school students in MIT's Saturday Engineering Enrichment & Discovery Academy (SEED). Programs such as these "decidedly shatter the underachieving stereotype," said Pearce. Unfortunately, enrichment opportunities like these are under fire around the country by "enemies of socioeconomic civil rights." He urged other universities to follow MIT's example, and not back down to pressure, lest the "civil rights advances of the last 50 years dissipate to nothing."

Lecture Details

Location: Morss Hall

About the Speaker

Nicholas Pearce 7

Pentecostal Minister

Nicholas A. Pearce (S.B. '07, Chemical Engineering) is a Pentecostal minister from Chicago, Illinois, who describes himself as "most importantly, a servant of God and humanity." While at MIT, he was a member of the National Society of Black Engineers and served on a number of Institute-wide committees. He is an American Chemical Society Scholar, Coca-Cola Scholar, U.S. Congressional Black Caucus Scholar, and United States Presidential Service Award recipient. He was named one of "Today's Joshuas" by the Christian Outlook Magazine in 2006 and was the first-ever recipient of the Illinois Governor's Award for Excellence in Education in 2003. He attended Chicago's well-reputed Whitney M. Young Magnet High School and is currently a doctoral student at the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management.