An initiative in Owensboro to connect Black students with industry mentors, their peers and school faculty had a successful first run, officials said.
Owensboro Black Expo, Owensboro Public Schools and the Owensboro Community & Technical College partnered to launch the Academic Career Exploration program in August and it just completed its first cohort with positive outcomes, the Messenger-Inquirer reported.
The program was offered to Owensboro High School and Owensboro Innovation academy students this year, but plans call for it to expand to the county school system, said Sharmy Davis, program organizer and director of cultural diversity at the community college.
“These are good, active students,” Davis said, adding that it has also given students a chance to have deep discussions around race and other national issues. “Last month at City Hall, we had them looking at issues in their neighborhoods and had them brainstorming how they would address those issues.”
