Entrepreneur Valerie Randolph has built a 30-year long career as a small-business owner in Atlanta, but found a higher calling in teaching young Black girls in the areas of STEM.
According to The Renewal Project — an extension of Allstate that shares the stories of individuals and organizations problem-solving in their communities — Randolph, an Allstate agency owner, has helped dozens of young Black women prepare themselves to pursue STEM careers since 2000 as both a teacher and a mentor.
Through Teens on the Move — a mentorship program that provides support to
young at-risk girls in the metro area — Randolph has exposed a community of underrepresented high school girls to the skills that they’ll need to make them competitive candidates in their respective fields.
As part of the program, girls not only get a chance to explore subjects like science and engineering, they also have the opportunity to visit college campuses and participate in summer internships, where Randolph says they “take the opportunity to them,” The Renewal Project shares.
According to the National Science Foundation, despite more women obtaining degrees in science and engineering, women and Black and brown people are still underrepresented within the job market for these industries.
Thanks to programs like Teens on the Move and mentors like Randolph, young Black women are receiving the education and skills they need to be successful in STEM.
For more information about Valerie Randolph and her work, click here.
