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is proud of our 20-year experience as a launchpad for entrepreneurs and small businesses across the globe to make a mark and achieve. Marcy Lab School Marcy Lab School is a private, non-profit institution located within Brooklyn, New York, with the goal of providing the best postsecondary educational experience to propel underestimated youngsters into rewarding and meaningful career paths in the technology sector.

We the donation of $100,000 was made to The Marcy Lab School as a part of our 2020 pledge to support organizations working toward the reduction of racial inequality.

We spoke with The Marcy Lab School's Executive Director, Reuben Ogbonna II, about the ways in which the school is able to provide chances for Fellows to discover their talents and pursue careers in the field of technology and other fields, with or without a degree.

: Marcy Lab is a very new and exciting organization. Why have you decided to establish the non-profit?

Reuben Ogbonna II: After spending 14 years serving students of color--along with my co-founder Maya Bhattacharjee-Marcantonio--in the charter and public school systems, we repeatedly watched as our former students with limitless potential slipped through the cracks of higher education. What doesn't get told about college in this country is that, every year, a ton of hard-working, highly promising students are accepted into the college of their dreams but not have the money for it or even make it to graduation. We were astonished by the pervasive failing "college promises" that left our students as well as their families with life-altering debt and other seemingly unsolvable challenges.

So in 2019, we formed and run Marcy Lab out of the belief that our young people who are of color, and in fact all young adults, deserve a better, more equitable pathway to the freedoms and opportunities once only afforded only to students who have completed a four-year college. Marcy Lab School Marcy Lab School offers a reimagined post-secondary option that is based on our goal of ensuring that there is always flexibility and choices for the young adults interested in pursuing the life-changing professions of tech.

SQSP: This program can be described as a viable alternative to the four-year college degree for its fellows. What is the reason it's crucial for you to know to know that The Marcy Lab offers this route to a job?

ROThe difficulties I saw my pupils encounter firsthand are among the most prevalent hurdles for young learners from communities of color. We realized that our post-secondary system did not live up to the promises of college the majority of young people are looking for such as community, support, academic relevance, and alignment with not just a job but a career. It's the deliberate combination of these elements that form the foundation of Marcy Lab and are some of the defining factors which give students the courage to pursue an alternative path.

So to deliver on a new promise, we ensure our Fellows have the skills for work following our 12 month program. They are prepared with the necessary skills to integrate their skills into fast-paced teams that add value on the first day. The Fellows acquire technical expertise through an industry-aligned, well-informed curriculum that's flexible and adaptable to ever-changing requirements of the technology industry. And alongside building a strong technical background, our fellows take part in the Leadership & Development curriculum, which focuses on the development of racial identities gender equity, career preparedness, as well as the importance of financial literacy. This is done through the works of renowned authors like James Baldwin, Michelle Alexander, Safiya Umoja Noble, and Dr. Beverly Tatum.

We're very proud to report that Marcy Lab School graduates are seeking and landing high-paying jobs typically reserved for college graduates who have attended competitive four-year universities. It's a double win The first is that our fellows and their families propelled to positions that offer secure financial stability, but it signals the ways that companies are altering their hiring methods to attract as well as retain the non-traditional workforce.

SQSP: Can you tell us more about the impact you've seen Marcy Lab School's impact Marcy Lab School have on its fellows during and after the school?

ROEven even after 5 years working on this project I have not lost on me just how radical it can be to watch our incredible young people step into roles that average $108,000 in annual earnings between 19 and 20 in many of the most successful companies around the globe and with no debt. These young people are working with teams of companies like The New York Times, JPMorgan, Cockroach Labs, Spotify and many more, increasing their earning potential at a rate of nearly $75,000 in just one year and enabling them to give back to their local communities by buying homes, aiding their family businesses, and supporting their families.

But even prior to when our Fellows break into the industry We watch them develop, change, and develop as individuals working more than they have ever been to reach their dreams and gaining confidence to know that they are a valuable asset to each room they step into. They spend each day growing ever more interested and determined to bring change outside the confines of Marcy and eventually their workplaces. They work alongside their instructors and with each other that they stay maintained in the knowledge that their talents, skills and abilities will enable them to dismantle systems of historic inequity through their experience and their education to design strategies for social benefit and to bring about changes in society.

SQSP: What is the role that technology play in the overall success of the Marcy Lab program and its co-participants, both as subjects and also in directing the program?

RO:Our technical curriculum's success hinges on our symbiotic relationship with our employer partners for establishing a continuous feedback loop around our Fellows' technical and professional skills. Relevant areas for improvement go right back to our instruction teams so that our materials are able to evolve and adapt in response to hiring needs and on-the-job performance.

This alignment in curriculum and student performance has resulted in the establishment of new partnerships for hiring with businesses who recognize that these intimate connections could lead to better or more equal hiring results. The highlights include:

We work directly with established businesses to remove degree requirements for software engineers. This includes the New York Times and . These companies have since hired our Fellows along with other talents that aren't conventional.

We are developing a new Capstone project curriculum with J.P. Morgan Chase Asset and Wealth Management, which specialized in backend data engineering the curriculum we use for our capstone time to address their requirements and help prepare our Fellows for the constantly growing expansion in analytics based on data.

SQSP How do you see your goals for the future of Marcy Lab School?

RO:What makes me optimistic about the future of Marcy Lab as well as the potential of the space we occupy are the evolutions happening within the corporate world as companies move away from the requirement of degrees in favor of hiring on the basis of skills which opens the possibility for organizations like Marcy Lab to even exist.

I have noticed major employers throughout the country including IBM and Barclays to major partners such as  the one I work for, with a significant number of mid-career, early career and senior executives who are graduates of The Marcy Lab School, similar to Stanford University's pipeline to firms in San Francisco's Bay Area. And after gaining knowledge and expertise at these elite businesses, I am seeing our students eventually launching their own businesses to start their own businesses and paying it forward by recruiting teams with the same backgrounds as they had.

Finally, I view Marcy Lab as a part of an expanded ecosystem of equitable pathways built specifically to help propel thousands of high-achieving students from communities of color to careers which break the cycle of poverty in just one generation.

SQSP: What can people who are interested in Marcy Lab School's mission become involved?

ROIf the mission of this organization and the work you do resonate with you, we encourage you to join us as a member of our expanding community. It's our hope that we can keep inspiring others when they join us in the movement! We frequently share three options for new folks to get involved:

Explore Our Brooklyn campus in Industry City and meet first-hand the children and teens that are dedicating their lives to their dreams and the incredible team of professionals who move the entire process ahead.

Volunteer your time and share your knowledge with our Fellows as they navigate the challenges of our program for one year to prepare them for their job search and go on to other. The community of volunteers serves as curriculum advisors, mentors, guest lecturers, and recruiting partners. They are crucial to the program. It helps us maintain an industry-aligned curriculum and helping to ensure the achievement of every one member of our fellows.

Additionally, donating to our mission allows us to continue this program tuition-free for our fellows.