LTU’s Hidden Figures Scholar^TM Program: Hidden No More

In the 2017 Oscar-nominated movie “Hidden Figures,” directed by Theodore Melfi, three brilliant NASA employees, Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn, and Mary Jackson, were the brains behind the historic launch of astronaut John Glenn into space. They remained largely unnoticed and unrecognized until the movie shed light on their critical contributions decades later.

From Movie to Academic Inspiration

A few years after the movie’s release, Lawrence Technological University received funding to begin its own Hidden Figures program in cooperation with the Detroit Public School Community District. This program encouraged girls to consider STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) careers. “It started bringing students to campus to see what real science and real research were about,” said Patrick Nelson, PhD, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (CoAS). This effort has evolved into the Hidden Figures Scholar^TM Program, open to female and male students. Beyond exposing students to STEM programs, the Hidden Figures Scholar^TM Program provides full four-year scholarships to LTU to support students pursuing STEM-related careers. “This new program represents far more than an academic initiative,” Nelson said. “While it is our responsibility to provide the foundation upon which students can build meaningful and successful college careers, it is our greater obligation as a university to evolve alongside them by creating an environment rich with opportunity, support, and purpose. As Dean, I am committed to ensuring that we do more than educate; we empower these extraordinary students with the tools, mentorship, and experiences necessary to truly transform their lives.”

Partner Relationships With Local High School

Housed in CoAS, Nelson collaborates with all the other LTU colleges. He explained, “We recruit by visiting the local schools and talking to kids and teachers. I’m currently utilizing our Early Middle College and Dual Enrollment high school connections to identify Hidden Figures Scholars^TM to enter the program.”

Nelson needs to raise between $7 and $10 million to support a total of 16 students in the next four years. “We’ve raised $2 million to bring four Hidden Figures Scholars^TM to LTU in the fall of this year. They’ll arrive on campus this summer to meet and work with our faculty.”

This approach, he said, ensures a smooth transition from high school to college and into their careers. It also gets students “college-ready” before they come on campus. “We want them to feel like this is their community,” Nelson said.

There’s a unique character of Lawrence Tech, Nelson believes, that can accommodate today’s students’ needs. When he hears people say students don’t fit into a particular college, “I believe it’s not that students don’t fit in,” says Nelson. “It’s that the university is not ‘fitting in’ for them!”

Lawrence Tech has dual enrollment agreements with several area high schools, allowing high school students to take college-level courses for credit. Nelson serves on the board of Detroit’s Cornerstone Schools. CoAS is working with Cornerstone’s Lincoln-King High School, Henry Ford High School, Crockett Midtown High School of Science and Medicine in Detroit, and Southfield High School for the Arts and Technology, to encourage their students to apply and attend LTU as a Hidden Figures Scholar in the STEM disciplines.

A Unique Opportunity

Lincoln-King High School Principal Andy Anuzis believes his school’s dual enrollment partnership with Lawrence Tech is a boon for his students. He said, “Lawrence Tech is a STEM leader in Detroit. It’s not lost on my students that they have the opportunity to get college credit while they’re still in high school and to be considered for this great scholarship program that the university offers them.”

Vice President for Enrollment Lisa Kujawa is proud of the growth of LTU’s dual enrollment program, from 300 students a decade ago to nearly 2,000 students today, with significant benefits for students who study STEM-related subjects. Various studies (see https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1422228.pdf and https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41604137/) indicate early exposure to STEM:

• Enhances critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Encourages creativity and innovation through hands-on projects.
• Improves collaboration and teamwork abilities in group settings.
• Increases engagement and interest in learning through interactive experiences.
• Prepares students for future careers in high-demand fields.
• Fosters a growth mindset by encouraging experimentation and resilience.

Theory and Practice

At LTU, Hidden Figures Scholars^TM will conduct meaningful hands-on research with faculty mentors. “A college education is for learning, expanding your mind, experiencing new things,” Nelson said. “Research is the human way to stay ahead of AI, discovering, innovating, and creating something new.

I’ll judge this program to be successful when the students say to me, ‘OMG, this transformed my life.’”

The first cohort of four students will be on campus this summer to orient themselves to college life and will begin freshman classes in September.

You can learn more about the Hidden Figures Scholar^TM Program in this short video.

Hidden No More

Nelson continued, “These kids are still learning about themselves. This program is designed to help them discover what’s hidden in them. This is a new generation that is not going to be hidden anymore.”