SABIC hosted a FOSSI Summer Summit at their Mt. Vernon, Indiana, facility to educate FOSSI scholars about what SABIC does and share knowledge about manufacturing practices, safety, the environment, and sustainability.
Four of SABIC’s FOSSI scholars attended the summit, held Aug. 14–17, just prior to the start of their fall semester.
The FOSSI scholars who attended the SABIC Summer Summit included Brandis Nathan, chemical engineering major at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU); Charlton Cranford, computer science major at PVAMU; Ja’Rae Raymond, management information science major at Texas Southern University; and Melea Earley, environmental studies major at Howard University.
More on the summit
“It was such an amazing experience,” Earley said. “It was great to be able to go out in the field and
actually see the ins and outs of what takes place at a chemical manufacturing plant. I’ve had similar summit experiences for a variety of companies, but I would say what sets SABIC apart was the fact that the environment was more conducive to learning and allowed the students to get hands-on experience.”
During the summit, students added to their professional networks and connected with SABIC employees. They did this through meeting with leaders on- and off-site, taking tours, and engaging with the Young SABIC Professionals (YSP) members and engineers who are part of the SABIC Engineers Early Development (SEeD) program, a two year rotational program in the manufacturing sector.
The students also participated in job shadowing, lock-out tag-out (LOTO) training, Operation Clean Sweep, and even had a building competition.
The lasting impact
The summit allowed Nathan to make connections between what he observed during his SABIC summer internship at SABIC Technology Center (STC) in Sugar Land, Texas, and what he saw at MTV. He found 
both locations to be “friendly and welcoming” but found the scale of operations between the two locations very different.
For SABIC employees, the summit was an opportunity to connect with current STEM university students and learn from them. In total, 44 SABIC employees participated in the summit.
After the summit, the students left with a better understanding of SABIC, a stronger network and exposure to professional opportunities they can consider for their futures.
More about SABIC’s involvement with FOSSI
SABIC currently is sponsoring 15 FOSSI students ranging from freshmen to juniors at various historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) across the country. SABIC is looking forward to sponsoring at least five more students in 2024. The company’s goal is not only to provide a scholarship but to provide additional support, including academic coaching, work opportunities, mentorship from SABIC employees who work in students’ areas of study, sending care packages, sponsoring them to attend the Responsible Care & Sustainability Conference, and opportunities to engage with the company’s sites.
We invite companies not currently supporting FOSSI to build their pipeline of outstanding and diverse talent by supporting a FOSSI scholar. Learn more.