With My Brother’s Keeper, Historically Marginalized Men in STEM Find Their Community

Professor Wendell Thomas is a coordinator and core member of the MyBK @ T initiative. He witnessed the need for stronger connections among his male Black and Latino students. “The typical engineering student metaphorically puts their head down and just works. They isolate themselves so deeply that if they do associate with other people, it’s rare,” Professor Thomas says. “We found out that they want to socialize with one another, they want to get to know one another. But they need that push.” So, in 2018, he helped launch the initiative as a way to alleviate that isolation.

My Brother’s Keeper aims to create a tight-knit community of Black and Latino men at Tandon. Together, they attend to each other and support each other in achieving their academic and professional goals. As a result, historically marginalized male students can find a sense of belonging.

To help students connect, My Brother’s Keeper hosts activities and outings centering sports, movies, and other common interests. At the same time, seminars and workshops on topics like financial literacy help them find success on their own terms. What’s more, the program introduces members to helpful campus resources. They can even participate in a video project where they answer questions each year, then review a video montage to determine their own growth. Plus, there’s the occasional free food and swag.

“My Brother’s Keeper has allowed me to feel a sense of community in a school where I am not really represented,” says Joshua Fleurentin. He’s a first-year Civil Engineering major. “Getting to know others who I can relate to more through fun activities has brought me comfort. It’s made the adjustment to college much easier.”