Equity and Access Events
We believe in leveling the playing field in order to increase access to higher education for students who are historically underrepresented and/or first-generation.
The following opportunities invite students as early as third grade to come to Drexel, experience what it is like to be on a college campus, and begin to envision themselves in that space. Each event focuses on a specific audience and age group in order to best serve these underrepresented students.
CAPTIVATE 6.7.8
CAPTIVATE 6.7.8 is designed to capture the imagination of middle school students and inspire them to plan for college and consider future STEM careers. CAPTIVATE launched at Drexel in May of 2016 with six middle schools from Philadelphia's Promise Zone in attendance and has grown since in participation and reach. The event is a half-day program with hands-on STEM activities under the guidance of faculty, staff, and current students in STEM fields and includes a campus tour.
Friday, May 17, 2024
9 a.m.–12:30 p.m. ET
Bossone Research Enterprise Center
3140 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19104
College Access Academy
Drexel's College Access Academy is a one-week program focused on assisting prospective college students through the college selection and admissions processes. Participants will have the opportunity to take part in a week filled with interactive workshops, skill development sessions, and a wide variety of social activities and opportunities to connect with fellow students. This in-person, residential program is targeted to support underrepresented students of color and/or first-generation college students who are rising high school juniors or seniors.
Program cancelled for Summer 2024.
Future Ventures
Desiring to inspire an entrepreneurial spirit and actively live the mission of the Charles D. Close School, this one-day program is designed to help underrepresented and underserved students of color in the city of Philadelphia to be entrepreneurial thinkers and doers, preparing them to meet the world market on solid footing and to create their own opportunities. In this interactive seminar, concepts of social entrepreneurship, tech entrepreneurship, and art and design entrepreneurship will be on display with current Drexel student entrepreneurs presenting their companies.
Friday, April 26, 2024
9:30 a.m.–1 p.m. ET
Pearlstein Learning Center
3230 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19104
STEM Conference for Young Women
Understanding the importance of exposing young women to college and STEM careers, the STEM Conference is a collaboration between Drexel and the Camden, New Jersey-based non-profit organization, Women of the Dream. Historically underrepresented and underserved young women of color from Philadelphia and Camden are invited each year to partake in the conference, which includes hands-on STEM activities under the guidance of professionals, faculty, and current students in STEM fields; a panel discussion featuring professional women of color in STEM careers; and a college access workshop discussing the high school preparation that it takes to pursue a STEM major in college.
Friday, May 3, 2024
9:45 a.m.–2 p.m. ET
Bossone Research Enterprise Center
3140 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19104