 My name is Russell Fluelen. I am a current senior in construction engineering and management at Purdue University, and I am a black engineer. My experience at Purdue this far has been rewarding yet challenging. I would say that there have been many experiences that have shaped me in ways that I couldn't imagine when I came in, whether it be in the classroom or with peers around Purdue. There's been a lot of adversity. There's been a lot of challenges. But ultimately I think I've grown from this, although it hasn't been the best experience. And so for that, I'm forever grateful. There have been things that I've experienced that I would not want others to experience. And so for that, I've been working tirelessly and working with the NSB for Change Committee so that we can push for change, sustainable change at Purdue University for other black engineers and black students to come. I'm on the National Society of Black Engineers Purdue University Mother Chapter, NSB for Change Committee, and that committee is geared towards promoting sustainable change for the students, the black students at Purdue University. I joined this committee to live out the mission statement of NSB, which is to increase the number of culturally responsible black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally, and positively impact the community. The positively impacted community part is the part that specifically speaks to me, and which is why the committee exists and which is why I'm on the committee. We as a committee drafted a call to action for the College of Engineering, and that call to action was sent out to the entire engineering leadership team as well as individuals within the school to address ongoing issues at Purdue University. These issues talk about just diversity in whole within faculty and staff and students, but also creating a more opening and welcoming space for students at Purdue University that study engineering. And so with that, we hope to allow current students to have a better experience on campus with faculty, with staff, and seeing more people that look like them and having the representation that matters, but also reaching out to students who have yet to come and those future students and getting more pipelines to help them get to Purdue University when they may not be able to get to Purdue University and just increasing those numbers coming in, but when they get here that they feel welcomed and that they have spaces that represent them and that they're able to be their true authentic self at Purdue University in whatever manner that may be. Being an engineer in general is solving problems that may plague any community or a workplace or a company or whatever, but being a black engineer in this day and age I would say is something that is crucial to help fix those same issues in the black community. A lot of times we don't have the representation that we need for our community in terms of project design or project representation, and so I think being able to do that and be that voice for those people who aren't there, specifically in my field as construction engineering, I can do construction projects that are meaningful for lower income communities or more sustainable housing for those who don't have that and can combat that we see a lot of gentrification these days and stuff like that and being a voice in those communities where those communities are being broken apart or torn apart is something that to me what being a black engineer will do for me but also do for my community. To the College of Engineering Administration, I would say one of the first things beyond trying to fix any issues in the college is to listen. It's very simple and the opportunity is there, listen. Listen to students, listen to their stories, listen to their experiences, but not only that, listen to the faculty, the black faculty, listen to their stories, listen to their experiences. Listen to the staff, their stories and their experiences. Put yourself in a place where you're not supposed to fix any issues because the issue oftentimes will fix itself when you come out of a problem-solving mode. Many people think, oh, I can just attack this and do it in this manner and it'll, oh, I'll have a great solution. It's something that engineers do and in this case it's not something to be solved, it's something to work for. It's a long-standing history that goes back many years and no one person or one group will ever be able to solve that problem without listening to the people who truly understand and go through it each and every day through their four, five, six years or less or more at Purdue University. Not only that, sit back after you listen and understand. Many black students face great trauma at Purdue and Purdue calls it grit or they call it adversity. You're getting this or getting that and you gain these great traits that are looked at when you're, oh, you know, you can bounce back. You're at various or you can persevere. You can do this or you can do that. But is that worth the cost of students' mental health, their well-being, their education, their social life or anything like that? And the answer should be no, but it's not always looked at in that manner. So understand, sit back, understand, reflect. Don't just listen and then let it go to the wayside or else it's useless. And when you understand that there is, you do not have to be that person to be an ally. You do not have to be the superhero. Some people just want to just be themselves and take the mask off. And, you know, in advising and all these things, experiences are always going to be different. And so blanketing solutions for all students doesn't always work. And so sometimes you have to understand that as well. You know, there is also this stigma that there's not enough black engineers to fulfill this necessary need of having more black engineers at Purdue. I would say that's not true. I only say that because if there's one, there's enough. The stigma should be, why aren't they at Purdue University if there's only one? That one should be here, right? And so I think that's enough. One is enough. It's not enough numerically, but it's enough to have somebody at Purdue University that represents that population. And so where that one exists, that one should be sought out. That one should be appreciated because Purdue still graduates one in a lot of engineering disciplines or none in a lot of engineering disciplines. Are they as important as the rest of them? And so to that I just say, really sit back and not be a superhero. Nobody wants you to be a superhero because we just want to be ourselves. And that's all we ask for.