Since 2009, the Salem County Young Promising Engineers (SCYPE) have battled the status-quo, paving a pathway for the next generation of minority leaders throughout the county.

The program itself was designed to help reinforce and strengthen high school student achievement in science, math and technology. Minority students also learn college and career preparation by way of mentoring, team building and problem solving sessions with college engineering majors.

“SCYPE basically is an opportunity to create the kind of environment that develops partnerships and networking across schools for minority youth,” said SCYPE Program Advisor Patricia Braxton. “So they can see themselves as capable of doing high-level math and science.”

SCYPE member and Woodstown High School sophomore Steven Scott gained honors in March for participating in the Science Fair Competition at the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) National Convention in St. Louis.

His desire to join SCYPE came from his deep rooted interest in math and science.

“In school I really do like math and science, so in this club it helps me in doing more scientific things,” Scott said.

The SCYPE group is run like most other formal boards throughout Salem County. The students sit on an executive board that meets once a month and they handle extensive business during these meetings.

They also participated in community service activities around the county.

“At the meetings they have a planned agendas, and they handle business,” said Braxton. “The heart of what we do is show them how to become community leaders.”

SCYPE Internal Vice President and senior at Woodstown High School Melaine Carrier said she came to SCYPE in an unorthodox way, but she is grateful for the skills she has learned.

“In my first year I really didn’t want to do SCYPE because I was shy,” said Carrier. “But along the way I learned new things and made new friendships.”

Carrier will be leaving the group next fall to attend York College. She said the key business points she learned by sitting on the executive board have been invaluable.

SCYPE Secretary and sophomore at Salem High School Mariah Pierce has been with the club since its beginnings. Her exposure to the program has opened her eyes to an untapped resource of limitless potential.

“I’m proud to say that I’m a sophomore and I know that I want to be a biomedical engineer and I want to minor in forensic science,” said Pierce. “Maybe I’ll go back and get a doctorate degree as well.”

Serving as a countywide pre-collegiate chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), SCYPE is sponsored by Calvary Community Development Corporation (CCDC) and Salem Community College (SCC) through the Community-Based Job Training Grant (CBJTG).

SCYPE often times has the support of local business such as PSEG, DuPont, and PolyOne. These communities relationship were built through outreach from the students.

Advisors for the group, Onaje Braxton and Alan Garlic, have been nothing but encouraged by the motivation they see in the students involved in SCYPE.

Garlic said SCYPE builds a different pipeline for students to succeed.

“We want to give the kids an example they can look to instead of looking to the people who are hanging out on the corner,” said Garlic. “A lot of it comes from exposure, they see things in SCYPE they won’t necessarily see here in Salem County.”

Onaje Braxton, who majored in engineering at Rutgers University, said the support group the students get in SCYPE helps them build intangible skills that are paramount in continuing their education after high school.

“SCYPE teaches them those intangibles, like how to meet a deadline,” said Onaje Braxton. “It sounds simple, but when faced with adversity, its important to know how to work through a problem and not run away. This will make you successful in just about any environment.”

Looking to the future, Patricia Braxton has set her sights on keeping the SCYPE program viable without grant funding. The group is actively seeking new membership.

“SCYPE opens your eyes it makes you want to achieve better for yourself,” said Pierce. “It lets you know there are other teens like you who are trying to strive for something better and it motivates you to work harder.”