48th Annual MLK Celebration Leadership Award Recipient: Chiamaka Agbasi-Porter
Chiamaka Agbasi-Porter
Community Outreach Administrator, Lincoln Laboratory
48th Annual MLK Leadership Award
Adapted from MIT Human Resources:
As Community Outreach Coordinator at Lincoln Laboratory, Chiamaka Agbasi-Porter is responsible for the planning and execution of more than 21 STEM programs as well as community giving and service programs at the Laboratory. Her principal focus has been underserved minorities—the focus of the program she developed, Lincoln Laboratory Radar Introduction for Student Engineers, is a free two-week residential summer workshop that teaches students how to build radar systems. More than 42 students—most from inner-city environments—have attended the past 3 years. Agbasi-Porter masterfully handles every single logistical and administrative aspect of the program, including arrangements for lodging, food, transportation, instructors, teaching assistants, syllabus, and all course requirements—and this is just one of many programs that she runs to promote STEM excellence.
Agbasi-Porter maintains metrics on the students who take part in her programs and the impact is inspiring. Many have gone on to major in engineering at the nation’s top universities—MIT, Harvard, Stanford. Other students have gone on to win internships at top R&D organizations, including Lincoln Laboratory. Her colleagues note that many of these students would not have been accepted to these colleges without the dedicated personal and professional support that Chiamaka provided to boost their STEM performance.
In 2015, she coached a Lincoln Laboratory team for a network-security competition sponsored by CyberPatriot V--a national youth cyber education program created in 2012 to help direct students toward careers in cybersecurity or other STEM disciplines--and the six team members were named Open Division National Finalists. That year, Agbasi-Porter was recognized by MIT Human Resources as an "Unsung Hero of 2015" with an MIT Excellence Award.
"Service to others is such an essential part of any community. Engaging people for a common cause creates a positive impact for the next generation. I am most excited when engaging with students and hearing their stories. I want students to leave our programs confident, knowing that there’s a community of people who are in their corner cheering them on."
--Chiamaka Agbasi-Porter, February 2022
MIT Mentor Inspires Underrepresented Students To Get Involved In STEM