Nurturing the next generation of minority innovators

In the Fall 2022 college program cycle, half of the eight participating colleges were MSI.

They include three historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Bowie State University in Bowie, Maryland. Morehouse College, Atlanta, Georgia. Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas and the University of Arizona, a Hispanic Service Institute (HSI).

Dr. John Porter, team leader at Morehouse College, said: “The difference now is that technology churns out that emotion 1000 times more than him in minutes. I hope you continue to pursue it.”

Private sector partners such as Google, whose team members provide free tutoring to students, see the benefits of supporting a more diverse and inclusive technology pipeline for tomorrow’s innovators.

Diane Wei, UX Manager at Google, who has coached multiple university teams in the 2022 Sprint, said: “This sprint also provides technology company professionals with a way to connect with young talent and foster a culture of inclusion, equality and belonging.”

Products designed by the team will be showcased at the annual TOP Summit, held virtually in late February.

Full agenda and registration information will be published on the TOP Summit page later this month.

The TOP University Sprint is held each fall and COIL is working to expand the program to reach more MSIs each year. For more information on TOP, visit opportunity.census.gov. For potential university partnerships, please contact the team at census.opportunityproject@census.gov.