{"675522":{"#nid":"675522","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Downie Grim III Reimagines Opportunities for Rural Youth ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/downie-grim-iii-9a8490216\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EDownie Grim III\u003C\/a\u003E, a Cybersecurity Support System Specialist at the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nationalguard.com\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EArmy National Guard\u003C\/a\u003E, and an incoming ISyE graduate student, has a story that begins in a place where dreams often seemed out of reach\u2014a small rural town with few resources for ambitious young minds.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn a place where after-school activities focused primarily on sports, the spark for engineering was ignited by his father, an industrial engineer.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHis father\u0027s career provided a vision of what was possible, setting the stage for Grim\u0027s future pursuits. Despite the absence of robotics clubs or computer programming classes, Grim\u0027s curiosity remained undimmed.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGuarding His Goals\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 2020, Grim enlisted in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ng.ms.gov\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EMississippi National Guard\u003C\/a\u003E, where he received an opportunity to receive free college tuition.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAs a kid out of high school, I felt a little directionless, and joining the National Guard at a young age helped prepare me to be a more capable adult,\u201d Grim reflected.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis experience was crucial in financing his education and instilling a sense of responsibility and precision that he carries into his academic and professional life.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBuilding a Supportive Network for Black Engineers\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EArriving at \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EJackson State University\u003C\/a\u003E (JSU) to study \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/industrialsystems\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EIndustrial Technology\u003C\/a\u003E, Grim discovered the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/nsbe.org\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ENational Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)\u003C\/a\u003E chapter had dwindled during COVID and was no longer active. Recognizing its potential, he took on the challenge of revitalizing the chapter.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI had to recharter the club, and we started with five members who were mostly my friends, but under my leadership, the club surged to over 90 students. It grew quicker than I could have possibly imagined.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs a two-time president, Grim transformed the NSBE chapter into a vibrant, supportive community, providing networking and development opportunities for its members.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAfter finishing his degree at JSU, Grim realized he wanted to continue his education \u2013 so, he began exploring his options.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EOvercoming Limited Educational Resources\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI know what it feels like to grow up in an area that didn\u2019t have the resources to show me what was possible with my life. I want to give back and help the next generation of kids get access earlier and to understand the power of dreaming, working hard, and persevering through life\u2019s challenges.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/diversity.gatech.edu\/students\/focus-program\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EFocus Scholar\u003C\/a\u003E, Grim had the chance to experience Georgia Tech before fully committing. The bustling city of Atlanta presented a stark contrast to where he lives in Mississippi, but the campus felt like a safe and welcoming environment.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt was so beautiful and green, and when you came with questions, it was easy to find answers. The Focus Scholar program helped me decide Georgia Tech was the next right step for me.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGrim\u0027s ambitions extend beyond personal career success.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe plans to create a non-profit organization to help children, especially those from rural areas, discover and understand their opportunities.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHis vision is to provide resources and guidance that he wishes had been available to him.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EReflecting on his journey, Grim stresses the importance of exploring all available opportunities \u2013 encouraging others to seek out new experiences and help connect others.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u201cSometimes you don\u0027t realize all your opportunities if you aren\u0027t exposed to them. So, we must all help each other make the valuable connections necessary to thrive.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E--\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EInterviewer: \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.isye.gatech.edu\/users\/natalie-esparza\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003ENat M. Esparza\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter: \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.isye.gatech.edu\/users\/natalie-esparza\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003ENat M. Esparza\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEditor:\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.isye.gatech.edu\/users\/camille-carpenter-henriquez\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003ECamille Carpenter Henriquez\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDownie Grim III grew up in a small town with limited educational resources but found inspiration in his father\u0027s engineering career. Joining the National Guard and later Jackson State University, he revived the NSBE chapter and now heads to Georgia Tech to further his education.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Incoming ISyE graduate student is focused on helping others get connected "}],"uid":"36481","created_gmt":"2024-07-19 14:21:14","changed_gmt":"2024-07-19 14:25:03","author":"nesparza7","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2024-07-19T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2024-07-19T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"674384":{"id":"674384","type":"image","title":"Grim III","body":null,"created":"1721398880","gmt_created":"2024-07-19 14:21:20","changed":"1721398880","gmt_changed":"2024-07-19 14:21:20","alt":"Downie Grim III","file":{"fid":"257887","name":"Grim III.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/07\/19\/Grim%20III.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/07\/19\/Grim%20III.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1682691,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/07\/19\/Grim%20III.png?itok=hcKlSBIR"}}},"media_ids":["674384"],"groups":[{"id":"1242","name":"School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISYE)"}],"categories":[{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}