Real Experiences for BHM 2016: PEER at Clemson

The next 2 ladies I want to talk about are Serita Acker and Sue Lasser. Many of us who graduated from Clemson can say we wouldn't be where we are today without these two ladies, the current and past directors of PEER at Clemson. I was first introduced to Ms. Acker when I was in 8th grade and attended a week long summer camp hosted by WISE. I had never thought about engineering or Clemson before that and would likely have never ended up at Clemson in the college of engineering had I never attended that program. I would meet Ms. Acker again when I was a senior in high school for WISE Choice--a program that allowed high school girls to spend a few days at Clemson with a buddy/mentor as a preview of college life. While I was at Clemson Ms. Acker was over WISE, a program to promote women in engineering, now she is the director of PEER which is meant to aid and promote all minorities in engineering fields. Once at Clemson, I met Mrs. Lasser. Though she isn't Black, I'm sure she's touched, inspired, and motivated 99% (maybe even 100%) of the Black engineers who attended Clemson. Mrs. Lasser has convinced so many of us to pursue higher goals and dreams than we would have imagined for ourselves; she truly is a driving force behind Clemson Black Engineers setting out for PhDs, Masters, internships, etc. If it weren't for Ms. Acker, I may have never found my way to STEM or to Clemson, and if it weren't for Mrs. Lasser, I may have never found myself in graduate school---and I know I'm not the only one who can say that. While both women have been instrumental in helping people from many races, I think their effect on the Black community in Clemson is immeasurable. Black History is not just about the past, but the future. Thanks to these two, we are creating of future filled with successful Black PhDs, successful Black engineers, successful women, successful Hispanic engineers and successful Hispanic PhDs. That's monumental! #BlackHistoryMonth2016 #MakeItCount #YouDontHaveToBeBlackToMakeADifference