Encourage minority students to pursue STEM

Marcus A. Huggans, the senior director of External Relations at The National GEM Consortium, is committed to repaying a debt generated decades ago. GEM is a network of corporations, government laboratories, universities and research institutions that enables qualified students from underrepresented communities to pursue graduate education in applied science and engineering.

A native of St. Louis, Huggans graduated from Lutheran High School North. He received a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Engineering Management from the University of Missouri-Rolla (now the Missouri University of Science & Technology), where he was one of the first African-American males to earn a Ph.D. in the discipline.

The primary focus of his research is the management of technology to create a learning environment to educate students in their preferred learning style.

Huggans is an alumnus of the Graduate Education for Minorities (GEM) Fellowship Program and has extensive experience in the science, technology, engineering, and applied mathematics (STEM) fields with over 20 years of working in the industry. His work at the National GEM Consortium started in 2006 as a senior recruiter. Currently, Huggans recruits and conducts programming to encourage minority students to pursue graduate degrees in STEM-related fields.

Huggans credits many individuals for helping him succeed. His list includes Jesus Christ, his parents (Vernon and Ada L. Huggans), Terrence Freeman, Lewis Payne, LaWanda Jones, Harvest and Shirley Collier, Halvard Nystrom, Steve Watkins, Timothy and Sarah Randolph, and Floyd Harris. 

His brothers Vernon and Sean, both engineers who graduated from Missouri S&T, shared things that did and didn’t work, so he had a clear path to success.

Terrence (Terry) Freeman, who volunteers with the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) pre-collegiate program, inspired Huggans to dream big and guided him through a model of success. 

“He has always been there to support me in all my success, from high school through my doctorial degree,” Huggans said. “Without Dr. Freeman, I wouldn’t have made it to all the other mentors.” 

In return for all the mentoring, Freeman told Huggans, “The only repayment that is required is just help the next generation like I helped you.” He has spent the last 20 years doing what Freeman required him to do. 

“STEM education needs an identity that is attractive to the masses and not just the select few,” Huggans said. “This starts when parents engage their students with educational-based games that make STEM Fun. It continues with organizations like NSBE, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), American Indian Science Engineering Society (AISES) and many others that supplement what parents teach.”

What advice does he have for young parents in America?

“I would tell them to encourage curiosity, engage their children with questions, and get connected with a group like NSBE, SHPE and AISES. I would suggest they take their children to a college library once a month, and enroll them at camps or programs on college campuses,” Huggans said. 

“I would encourage them to open a bank account and let their children make a deposit once a month, regardless of the amount, since it is the act of investing in the future. Never let them take anything out of this account because it is their college account.”

Finally, he would tell parents that a STEM education “is like the liberal arts degree during the 21st century. STEM education provides a foundation to do just about anything in life. It gives the students the rigor to tackle difficult problems and provides the confidence to know they can do it.”

Currently, Huggans resides in Dallas, Texas with his wife and children. In his spare time, he enjoys attending church, working with students and coaching his children’s sports teams. He also enjoys studying various investment vehicles, including real estate, stock options and entrepreneurship.