{"id":26018,"date":"2021-04-15T13:52:27","date_gmt":"2021-04-15T17:52:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mdcthereporter.com\/?p=26018"},"modified":"2021-04-29T12:24:07","modified_gmt":"2021-04-29T16:24:07","slug":"an-organization-focused-on-increasing-graduation-rates-of-male-minority-students-coming-to-mdc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/an-organization-focused-on-increasing-graduation-rates-of-male-minority-students-coming-to-mdc\/","title":{"rendered":"An Organization Focused On Increasing Male Minority Graduation Rates Is Coming To MDC"},"content":{"rendered":"

An organization<\/span> focused on increasing the number of male minority college graduates <\/span>\u2014 <\/span>Brother 2 Brother <\/span>\u2014 <\/span>wants to start a chapter at Miami Dade College.<\/span><\/p>\n

The group, part of the <\/span>Student African American Brotherhood<\/span><\/a><\/span>, would be based at Kendall Campus but open to students at all eight MDC campuses.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I came to MDC, I was lost. If it weren\u2019t because of the people who helped me, I wouldn\u2019t have become the person I am today,\u201d said Quran Howard, one of the students trying to get Brother 2 Brother started at MDC. \u201cI want to be that person for people that are just starting because it really takes a village.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Although not an official club yet<\/span>\u2014MDC requires five members but SAAB requires 15\u2014<\/span>B2B hopes to start activities next fall semester.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had the opportunity to speak with minority males who would tell me that they\u2019re struggling and wanted a club that would represent them,\u201d said Anthony Valenzuela<\/span><\/span><\/a>, the president at the Kendall Campus Student Government Association, who is trying to get the chapter launched. \u201cI think this club is going to outlast many others that are going to start in the next few years or months because the [reason for starting it] is so strong.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The possibility of starting the organization surfaced in March of 2020 when SAAB\u2019s founder<\/span> Tyrone Bledsoe spoke at professional development day at Kendall Campus. His speech sparked interest in starting a chapter on campus to offer leadership and networking skills for male minority students.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Meetings will be held biweekly. Members will participate in workshops about creating resumes, academic tips, financial literacy, public speaking and interviewing skills. Non-academic topics that can affect their performance in class, like proper nutrition, will also be discussed.<\/span><\/p>\n

There will also be team-building exercises to establish lifelong connections between members, as well as guest speakers who will discuss their experiences as male minorities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBrother 2 Brother doesn\u2019t say \u2018you need to be this type of individual\u2019,\u201d said Kendall Campus Student Life Director Ashton Hartley, who will help advise B2B. \u201cIt helps you explore yourself so you can find yourself and be comfortable with that while also developing other skills.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The club is looking to fill the following positions:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n