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New SGA Today Story: Raleigh Brock Of New Orleans Emerges as an 8th Grade, Award-Winning Stem Achiever and Role Model

Raleigh with her science fair award.

Raleigh with her science fair project.

Raleigh Brock, who has created an award-winning science project that addresses solar energy and climate change, is a teenage, African American STEM achiever.

Our kids need to build confidence that they can achieve at science, technology, engineering and math. They are not getting that in many of the schools they attend.”
— Dr. Calvin Mackie

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, UNITED STATES, June 21, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Read the story HERE

SGA Today, the newsletter for STEM Global Action has posted an incredible story on Raleigh Brock, an 8th grader, who has created an award-winning science project that addresses climate change. She is a young, African American STEM achiever.

Raleigh has even become a role model for her younger brother, Royce, 7, who recently proclaimed, “You know, Raleigh, you are a good role model for me. I'm not being sarcastic. I'm serious.”

Royce is not the only one taking notice of Raleigh these days. At 14, the aspiring astrophysicist, planetary scientist and engineer is demonstrating a keen awareness and understanding of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills and principles that is astonishing for someone her age. Even more so for an African American student attending an inner-city school. STEM NOLA, an SGA affiliate that advances STEM education in Black & Brown communities, was instrument in Raleigh’s attachment to STEM. Her science project, which demonstrates the link between the placement of solar panels on cars and the efficiency of solar energy, has been lauded for its forward-thinking, and potential contribution to curbing climate change.

“I created three cars and I positioned the solar panels differently,” Raleigh says, of her project. “One of the cars had Popsicle sticks on it to make the solar panels higher, another one was slanted on the motor and the last one was flat on the top of the car. I experimented outside to see which one went fastest in a three-foot distance. It’s to show that if you use solar energy, you can help the environment more because we use gas a lot. If you use solar energy, you can see how far it can take you. The more solar energy you use, the better we can do for the environment.”

She won first place at her school science fair, the Greater New Orleans Science Fair and the Louisiana Science and Engineering Fair junior division, where she also won a special award in the transportation category and a $200 prize. Raleigh is now competing in the NAACP Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics, a yearlong achievement program designed to recruit, stimulate and encourage high academic and cultural achievement among Black high school students. Raleigh won first-place in the engineering division in April and will represent New Orleans at the national NACCP ACT-CO convention in Atlantic City, NJ in July.

Her parents, Alyssa and Roderick Brock, are actively engaged in the parenting of their children.

Raleigh comes from a family of educators. Her mother, Alyssa, is a first-grade teacher at the Alice Harte Charter School, where Raleigh attended before graduating to the ninth grade in the fall. Raleigh’s maternal grandmother, maternal great-grandmother and paternal great-grandmother were also teachers. “We take that job (teaching) pretty seriously,” Alyssa says. Raleigh’s parents have always stressed “soaking up as much culture as possible,” and take their children to museums and other attractions.

Roderick, who is a supervisor with Otis Elevator, says the keys to good parenting are guidance, understanding, encouragement and honesty. “As parents we are allowed to teach, develop and encourage our kids,” he adds. “But most important is honesty and understanding, this allows us to learn and help them reach their full potential and goals. Everyone evolves together.”

Dr. Calvin Mackie, who launched STEM NOLA in 2013, asserts that his programs are designed to allow children to have fun, while learning more about STEM. “Our kids need to build confidence that they can achieve at science, technology, engineering and math. They are not getting that in many of the schools they attend,” he says. “We call them ‘Lost Einsteins’ when brilliant Black & Brown children are not nurtured, not exposed to STEM, and lose out on the skills and learning that will be needed to fill the jobs and careers of the future. Raleigh is an example of what our children can accomplish.”
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ABOUT STEM GLOBAL ACTION
In 2013, Dr. Calvin Mackie founded STEM NOLA, a New Orleans-based, non-profit committed to expanding STEM education at churches, community centers and schools, particularly in communities of color. His goal is to make STEM education available in ALL communities. In July 2021, Dr. Mackie launched STEM Global Action, a campaign and network of affiliates, including STEM NOLA, that pursues STEM education for children, parents and communities across the U.S., and abroad. His initiatives have impacted more than 100,000 students, 20,000 families and 2,150 schools across the U.S., and in five other countries. Dr. Mackie hosts the Let’s Talk STEM with Dr. Calvin Mackie podcast, which includes conversations with some of the leading STEM achievers from around the world. CLICK HERE for an archive of podcast episodes.

The STEM Global Action website ( https://stemglobalaction.com/) includes:

STEM Global Action Today (https://stemglobalaction.com/stem-global-action-today/), a newsletter with comprehensive articles on some of the most important issues related to STEM, and takes readers into the lives of STEM educators and their extraordinary students, who will be the STEM leaders of tomorrow.

STEM Global Action Data Center (https://stemglobalaction.com/stem-data-center/), a one-stop resource library for studies, reports, video presentations and news coverage about STEM.

Michael K Frisby
Frisby & Associates
+1 202-625-4328
email us here

Releigh explains her award-wining science project.