{"675685":{"#nid":"675685","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Downie Grim III Reimagines Opportunities for Rural Youth ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/downie-grim-iii-9a8490216\/\u0022\u003EDownie Grim III,\u003C\/a\u003E an incoming Industrial Engineering graduate student and part-time soldier in the Army National Guard serving in the US Army signal corps, has a story that begins in a place where dreams often seemed out of reach for many \u2014a small rural town with few opportunities for ambitious young minds.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe spark for engineering was ignited by his father, an industrial engineer.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHis \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/downie-grim-jr-bb9a9780\/\u0022\u003Efather\u0027s\u003C\/a\u003E 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 growing up, Grim\u0027s curiosity remained undimmed in terms of what he wanted to become and do.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch6\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGuarding His Goals\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h6\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 2020, Grim enlisted in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ng.ms.gov\/\u0022\u003EMississippi National Guard,\u003C\/a\u003E where he received an opportunity to receive free college tuition,\u0026nbsp; where he took advantage and attended HBCU Jackson State University majoring in Industrial Technology.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\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\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\u003Ch6\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBuilding a Supportive Network for Black Engineers\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h6\u003E\u003Cp\u003EArriving a\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/\u0022\u003Et\u0026nbsp;Jackson State University\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/a\u003E(JSU), Grim discovered th\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/nsbe.org\/\u0022\u003Ee\u0026nbsp;National Society of Black\u0026nbsp;Engineers (NSBE)\u003C\/a\u003E chapter had dwindled during COVID and was no longer active.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERecognizing its potential, he took on the challenge of revitalizing the chapter.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI had to recharter the club, and we started with five official 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\u003Cp\u003EAs a two-time president, Grim transformed the JSU NSBE chapter into a vibrant, supportive community, providing networking and development opportunities for its members.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\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\u003Ch6\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EOvercoming Limited Educational Resources\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h6\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 entirely possible with my life. You only really know what\u2019s within your perspective and what others did to make it in life\u201d.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/diversity.gatech.edu\/students\/focus-program\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 southern Mississippi, but the campus felt like a safe and welcoming environment with a lot of enjoyable activities to explore.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt was so beautiful and lively in terms of the many amenities and activities the campus has to offer.\u0022 Grim also noted that when you came with questions, it was easy to find answers and resources on campus.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe Focus Scholar program helped me decide Georgia Tech was the next right step for me.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch6\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGrim\u0027s Ambitions Extend Beyond Career Success\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h6\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe plans to create a non-profit organization to help children, especially those from rural areas, discover and understand the opportunities available post-graduation in the field of STEM. His vision is to provide resources and guidance that he wishes had been available to him throughout his journey.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EReflecting on his journey, Grim stresses the importance of exploring all available opportunities \u2013 encouraging others to seek out new experiences in order to connect with others.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cSometimes you don\u0027t realize all your opportunities, and potential if you aren\u0027t willing to step outside your comfort zone.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\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.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Incoming ISyE graduate student is focused on helping others get connected "}],"uid":"36284","created_gmt":"2024-07-30 15:45:33","changed_gmt":"2024-07-30 15:48:34","author":"chenriquez8","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2024-07-30T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2024-07-30T00:00:00-04:00","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"}},"674449":{"id":"674449","type":"image","title":"Downie Grim at GT Focus Scholar","body":null,"created":"1722354363","gmt_created":"2024-07-30 15:46:03","changed":"1722354363","gmt_changed":"2024-07-30 15:46:03","alt":"Downie Grim at GT Focus Scholar","file":{"fid":"257966","name":"image1.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/07\/30\/image1.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/07\/30\/image1.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":222077,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/07\/30\/image1.jpeg?itok=BVxceyDA"}}},"media_ids":["674384","674449"],"groups":[{"id":"660354","name":"Center for Academics, Success, and Equity"},{"id":"1242","name":"School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISYE)"}],"categories":[],"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":""}}}