Black Scholars Birthed From Howard University STEM Program

WASHINGTON, D.C. — When Justin Drummond applied for college five years ago, he knew he wanted to pursue an education in STEM, but he didn’t know the right program for him.

It wasn’t until Drummond discovered Howard University’s premier Karsh STEM Scholars program when he found his perfect match.

In 2017, Howard University’s inaugural scholarship program offered full academic scholarships for undergraduate students studying in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Formerly known as the Bison STEM Scholars Program, the program was renamed the Karsh STEM Scholars Program in January 2020 after Howard received a $10 million donation from the Karsh Family Foundation.

The Karsh Family Foundation was founded in 1998 by Bruce and Martha Karsh. Their goal as a foundation is to give others educational equity and opportunity. To date, The Karsh Family Foundation has gifted approximately $250 million to support education and scholarships.

With assistance from the Karsh's donation, Howard offers students a scholarship for tuition, room and board, mandatory fees and an allowance for books. In addition to the scholarship, students are required to pursue a Ph.D or a combined MD-Ph.D, within a STEM discipline.

Led by executive director Ron Smith, the program’s goal is to increase the number of underrepresented minorities with a doctoral degree.

Since their first class, the university has welcomed three cohorts of STEM students with its inaugural class graduating this past spring. Several students within the program have interned at STEM-focused organizations across the country.

Each year, the number of students has increased with nearly 30 students in the last cohort.

In an effort to achieve the program’s goal, the incoming freshman scholars participate in a summer bridge program with classes, seminars and lectures from Ph.D. researchers.

Drummond said the program gave him with a strong foundation and better insight on the research field that encouraged him to pursue his doctoral degree after completing his matriculation.

The 22-year-old heavily credits the Karsh STEM Scholars program as the reason he decided to continue his education toward a Ph.D.

“The program I would say helped me sort of like reach a potential that I wouldn't have otherwise been able to reach, or known. I wouldn't have known if I would be ready to pursue a Ph.D if it wasn't for the program,” Drummond said.

Aside from the education and development taken away from the program, Drummond noted the connection built between the group of students. Drummond along with the other 22 students in his group of classmates graduated in May, but they encouraged each other throughout their time at Howard.

“Having a community of other like-minded people that are also pursuing the same thing as you are is definitely very encouraging so that you don't feel like you're in it alone,” Drummond said.

As he prepares to pursue a Ph.D. in transportation engineering, Drummond notes Smith and Ernestine Baker, another director in the Karsh STEM Scholars program, as two influential people who helped him along the way. Although the program’s initial goal is to increase the number of African Americans in the STEM field, Drummond said Baker and Smith make sure the program is more than creating a statistic.

“They also really contributed so heavily for me. I can really tell that—this a program is not meant to just be another statistic just for our universities to say we have this great program,” Drummond said,.

For more information on Howard University’s Karsh STEM Scholars program, visit their webpage.