December 11, 2020

The Mizzou National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) student organization was awarded the “Most Outstanding Chapter” of Region Five – Missouri Zone during the virtual 2020 NSBE Regional Fall Conference. Mizzou NSBE has won this award for six consecutive years.

To win the award in 2020, the organization got creative with virtual experiences above and beyond its regular bi-weekly meetings, said Mizzou NSBE President Ronell Jones II.

“We had NSBE Week, which had different virtual activities every day for a week,” Jones said. “With the scheduling of the week this year, it was right around the Career Fair. So, we had a lot of professional development workshops and have companies come in and speak to us on behalf of the company.”

There was also a virtual yoga session and a virtual barbecue event during this year’s NSBE Week.

Mizzou NSBE held other activities this semester that made the case for the club’s award. These included a community cleanup day at Stephens Lake Park and a Walk for Education.

“For the Walk, we went door-to-door safely and set pamphlets outside doors that described the benefits of higher education. These pamphlets also included higher education options available in Columbia, along with scholarship information,” Jones said.

Members of Mizzou NSBE at their Walk for Education event held in Fall 2020.

Conference Activities

The regional conference also included other activities such as workshops on how to handle finances, succeeding in job interviews and maintaining mental health.

“The conference was great. There was a lot of variety that people could pop in and out of,” Jones said.

Other virtual events put on during the conference included a career fair and a dance party.

Mizzou NSBE is an all-inclusive organization that welcomes members from all areas of study across campus. Follow the organization on Twitter to learn when meetings begin in the Spring 2021 semester.