Summer program at PFW that introduces college life to young African American males expands for year 2

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Building on the success of its inaugural campaign during the summer of 2021, a summer program designed to help young African American males take what may be their first major steps toward a college education will kick off at Purdue University Fort Wayne on Sunday. 

The three-day, two-night opportunity is called the Purdue University Fort Wayne College Experience. It’s a collaboration between the university’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and the Bloom Project, a nonprofit organization helping young men of color in Indianapolis and Fort Wayne with career and college readiness.

The 2022 experience, which has grown from 26 participants last year to 40 this time around, consists of students entering grades 8–12 who hail from 10 Indiana cities. The opportunity is made possible through a grant from the Foellinger Foundation.

“We are so proud that one of our recent graduates who took part in the experience last year will be attending Purdue Fort Wayne in the fall,” said Arnetta Scruggs, executive director and founder, Bloom Project, Inc. “In addition, he will be a chaperone for the program this year, which allows him to use the experience and leadership skills he gained to help lead a new group of young men into a brighter future that we hope will one day see them earn degrees from a two- or four-year institution of higher education.”

The main objective of the experience is to offer an immersive glimpse of college life including tours, class time, social activities, and a campus fair. Participants will also stay in campus housing to help them feel what it is like to be a college student.

This type of hands-on approach to learning has been shown to better engage young minds by making them part of the process.

“PFW is excited to be host to 40 African American young men interested in learning about college and our university,” said MarTeze Hammonds, chief diversity officer, Purdue University Fort Wayne. “Hearing from last year’s students about the impact this college experience had on their lives was simply amazing. I was in their shoes not that long ago — attending life-changing programs similar to what we are offering — and that memory has never left me.”

Multiple sessions during the campus visit provide opportunities for the students to interact with faculty who specialize in STEM and business leadership in Purdue Fort Wayne’s College of Engineering, Technology, and Computer Science, and its Doermer School of Business, respectively.

A college fair will include representatives of several areas of the university including Admissions, Financial Aid, Student Housing, Student Life, the Career Development Center, the Study Abroad Program, the College of Visual and Performing Arts, TRIO Student Support Services, Human Resources, and the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs.  

Each experience is intended to help fulfill Project Bloom’s commitment to help young men of color become part of the solution to societal problems through impactful actions, focused instruction, and serving others.

Ultimately, program organizers want participants to envision themselves on a college campus with a strong desire to pursue and achieve a postsecondary education.

Much of the academic immersion during the experience will take place on Monday between 10:05 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. The students will be divided into separate groups for the sessions.

• STEM tracks: 10:05 a.m.–12:05 p.m. and 1:05–3:05 p.m., Engineering, Technology, and Computer Science Building, Room 226
• Business tracks: 10:05 a.m.–12:05 p.m. and 1:05–3:05 p.m., Neff Hall, Room 333
• Campus Fair: 3:15–4:30 p.m., Helmke Library Skybridge

The experience wraps up Tuesday with an award ceremony and presentations between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. in the Classic Ballroom at Walb Student Union.

Additional newsgathering opportunities may also be arranged upon request. Contact Blake Sebring, News Center director, at [email protected] or 260-385-0092 to help facilitate.

For more information about the program, contact MarTeze Hammonds at [email protected] or 260-481-0396.