 My name is Karen Hubbard. I am a senior in interdisciplinary engineering studies with a concentration in pre-medical sciences and I am a black engineer. To be a black engineer to me means to be unbroken. I'm at war every day with my mind, my peers, and my academics. I have to be unbroken every day to not only get the grades but prove my worth to my peers and to my teachers. Being a black engineer means the teacher has to know my name so they don't get me confused with the other black female or male in the classroom. Being a black engineer means I have to speak loudly to make sure that I'm heard. Being a black engineer means I have to speak a little soft just to make sure I'm not aggressive. And being a black engineer means I have to study three times as harder just to prove my worth and the professor to know my name. The fact that the minority engineering program exists is my saving grace because I would have definitely transferred to a different school or given up on engineering if I didn't have the minority engineering program. When it comes to how much is put on that office, when it comes to retention, recruitment, graduation, and maintenance of the self-esteem of black students, I think that that's a lot to put on one office and I think that just shows the lack of resource and energy that's going towards making sure that that need is met. So when it comes to things that Purdue could do better at, I think that addressing that these issues of self-efficacy exist is one thing. So acknowledgement is the first thing to, the first step to acknowledging that there is a problem, you need to know it's there. I think that Purdue engineering knows that it's there but doesn't do enough to really address the problem and provide solutions and support and a backbone for black students to fall back on when it comes to the issues that we face in the classroom. The mental health needs of black engineering students are far from just a typical engineering student's needs. When it comes to being the only one in the classroom, I don't have anyone I can talk to that's on the Purdue engineering staff. I have to go to MEP which is in the corner of Armstrong when my classes are halfway across campus. I don't find solace until I step into that room. I sincerely believe that there is some serious work to be done when it comes to supporting us and meeting all of our needs to even just graduate, not only graduate but to be comfortable here. I'm uncomfortable in this space without the minority engineering program. The fact that it closes at five and my staff leaves at five, there's no one to help me after hours when someone in my class picked on me because I'm the only black girl or the teacher gets me confused with some other black girl or black boy again. So I think that having areas of support to really acknowledge and and provide a structure for giving black students what they need is where Purdue engineering administration needs to start. I use my platform through multiple channels and specifically the biggest one that I use is plugging into the mother chapter here of the National Society of Black Engineers. Purdue is a founding chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers where our mission statement is to increase the number of culture responsible black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community and I live that mission every single day inside the classroom and outside of the classroom. When it comes to outside of the classroom I make sure that I really help people figure out what sets their soul on fire. So of course with being a black engineer at Purdue that's enough to set your soul on fire but with understanding that plugging into a community where you can be rooted and grow and develop and consistently have that that personal coaching and that mentorship with upperclassmen and your peers is essential to survival when it comes to being a black engineer here at Purdue. When it comes to how I specifically use my platform I am now chair emeritus of the region four region four of the National Society of Black Engineers which is composed of six regions. When it comes to just my pride for the mother chapter I've actually been a member of the National Society of Black Engineers or NESB for about 10, 10, 11 years now and I only knew about NESB because I was involved in high school and a lot of other students in high school or middle school or elementary aren't really poured into that early. I was just lucky enough to be plugged into a community and have a really strong and vigilant mother who plugged me into these specific channels and made sure that I had a vent made sure that I had a community that was not only grooming me for success but building up my confidence so that I could survive in this college setting. When it comes to my platform specifically I know that I can't do this forever I'm only here for a set amount of years and I am warning people now as I am continuing or getting ready to graduate I'm only going to be here until I graduate and afterwards you're only going to see me in the presence of a check written to the Purdue National Society of Black Engineer chapter. I'm not coming back therefore you have to figure out how to grow on your own how to grow without me and so when I depart from you you're not going to be consistently calling back on me for help. When it comes to making sure that my platform really embraces this lift as we climb mentality that is a huge thing for me so the ways that I use my platform I ensure that I kind of embrace that as well as living and and making sure that I'm a burning light an example for black students to kind of show you that there is hope just when it comes to my own personal journey there are so many tumultuous situations I've been caught up and and just by you know the grace of God and the the grace of just having a community to plug into I survived and I'm going to get my degree and not a lot of people can say that with confidence so with my platform another tip that I'll just also share I really struggle with anxiety and how I turn that around and just kind of reframing how powerful anxiety is and switching that in the opposite direction so if you really think about anxiety it's just imagination in the wrong direction and I consistently teach that to a lot of people who are plugged into me as well as just making sure that my platform my platform just bleeds with this confidence that I wasn't always like this I had to go through a couple opportunities I had to go through a couple of situations where I didn't always have that confidence but I had to I had to build that I had to plug into different people and now that I have those experiences to speak on and I no longer cry when I talk about them it is my platform and that is who I am