Many minority and women business enterprise entrepreneurs use their local, County and State Agencies to stay current and tap into potential resources and procurement opportunities for their businesses and their communities. Getting MWBE Certified and procuring government contracts can help MWBEs build their businesses! Grants, loans, networking, attending training classes, workshops and joining chambers of commerce and professional organizations are also parts of MWBEs portfolios to grow their businesses. We encourage MWBEs to become civically and politically engaged in their communities and the communities that they serve!

Congratulations to the FOSSI Scholars, including Kendall Cousins, son of AERO-BA-SOUL, INC. CEO Kecia Palmer-Cousins and COO Kevin Cousins on ringing the closing bell on Thursday, December 7th at the New York Stock Exchange (click here to see the video)!

In 2021, FOSSI celebrated 151 high school seniors who were selected to receive a $40,000 scholarship ($10,000 per year of college) to pursue a preferred STEM degree at HBCU. Kendall Cousins, 2021 Peekskill High School Graduate, was one of the 151 high school seniors. He is now a Junior majoring in Mechanical Engineering at Howard University and proud member of Howard University’s Football team for the 3^rd year, 2022 co-MEAC Champions and now 2023 MEAC Champions.

Recognizing a lack of diversity throughout the STEM workforce, in November of 2020, the American Chemistry Council (ACC), American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), Chemours and HBCU Week Foundation partnered to establish the Future of STEM Scholars Initiative (FOSSI). This national industry-wide program seeks to increase the number of underrepresented professionals in the STEM workforce by providing scholarships to students pursuing preferred STEM degrees at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

FOSSI is dedicated to supporting those STEM Scholars who would otherwise not have access to a STEM education by eliminating financial barriers. Based on a cost per scholar of $48,000, each FOSSI scholar is awarded a $40K scholarship ($10K per year, for four years), and offered leadership development, mentoring and internship opportunities with program sponsors, and access to AIChE student networking events.

With funding from over 70 chemical manufacturers and related industry stakeholders, the program has raised nearly $30 million to support more than 600 scholars through 2025. Our scholarship recipients represent 30+ states, with students attending 42 HBCUs. Since its inception, thousands of high school students across the nation have applied for FOSSI scholarships, demonstrating both the urgent need for this program and the enormous pool of untapped talent. Learn more about FOSSI today by clicking here!

You can also visit our website at www.aerobasoul.com or email Kecia at kecia@aerobasoul.com.

At Aero-Ba-Soul, Inc. we build dreams to life with heart and a soul! Like a trusted friend and confidante, our personal project managers tap into their vivid imaginations, hearts and souls to analyze clients' projects and engineer solutions through project completion.