Champions of Change Blog

Pioneering New Frontiers in Technology and Innovation

Ed. Note: Champions of Change is a weekly initiative to highlight Americans who are making an impact in their communities and helping our country rise to meet the many challenges of the 21st century.

Earlier this year, I had the privilege of traveling to Florida’s ‘Space Coast,’ home of Cape Canaveral and the legendary Kennedy Space Center, to meet with industry and business leaders whose work is at the cutting edge of space exploration and technology. I was there as part of the Administration’s Champions of Change Series, to highlight the work people are doing every day to win the future through innovation and education. 

I had a very lively discussion with nearly 20 area residents about their work. These are visionary leaders both within the government and the private sector who are working to tap the exceptional skills and resources of the Space Coast to ensure the area’s economy continues to prosper and diversify, as NASA ends the Space Shuttle program and proceeds with efforts to develop new crew transportation and space exploration systems. We discussed creative, hands-on learning programs for young students inspired by NASA’s missions. We met business owners who are transforming technology and capabilities developed for the Shuttle program into good jobs for Florida workers. We met an entrepreneur who is hiring former NASA engineers and trying to revolutionize how we build cars in America. We met NASA contractors and private launch companies, who all are doing incredible work to adapt and grow their businesses in an uncertain environment. 

We also heard really good ideas about how government and industry can work together to utilize the immense brain-power, and unique capabilities and infrastructure that exists across the I-4 corridor to spur further development and growth of this important economy. 

If my one hour conversation with one room of people is any indication of the creativity and potential of the space industry to continue to pioneer new frontiers in technology and innovation, I can’t wait to see what they’ll come up with next.

Carlos Monje is Special Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff of the White House Domestic Policy Council.

Empowering Urban Young Adults

Ed. Note: Champions of Change is a weekly initiative to highlight Americans who are making an impact in their communities and helping our country rise to meet the many challenges of the 21st century.

My upbringing was an interesting one, because the father figures in my life have all cared for me through critical stages of development. At the age of fourteen, my life completely changed. My mom became a single mother of six, who worked 10-hour days while attending college. During this time, I found myself taking on large amounts of responsibility, as I was the oldest sibling. In hopes of resolving internal issues of abandonment, I found my biological father and moved in with him at the age of seventeen. The next five years were some of the best and most poignant years of my life. I was not only able to build self confidence, but also was able to foster a new relationship with my dad that allowed me to gain a greater understanding of the man I was trying to become. It is because of these experiences that I have always given the role of Father and Provider the highest priority.

The youth of our communities across the country are faced with increasingly poor attendance at school, marginal academic achievement, low probability of high school graduation, involvement in gang-related activities, low self-esteem, substance abuse, negative involvement with law enforcement and general lack of positive guidance. Statistics from the National Cares Mentoring Movement show that only 18% of Black boys graduate from high school; 57% of Black fourth graders are functionally illiterate; 2.4 million Black children have a parent in prison; and, homicide is the leading cause of death of young Black men with more than 1,000 Black teenagers arrested every day. This is the type of compelling evidence that fuels my passion for serving our youth.

My work with Year Up Atlanta, allows me to provide a level high support and high expectations for the urban young adults aged 18-24. We recognize that both job skills, technical and professional, and higher education are necessary to provide a viable path to economic self-sufficiency. Our mission is to close the Opportunity Divide by providing urban young adults with the skills, experience, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through professional careers and higher education. This will be a crucial element in support of President Obama’s plan to “out-innovate, out-educate and out-build the rest of the world.” In addition to this work, my involvement on the steering committee of Atlanta CARES, an affiliate of the National CARES Mentoring Movement (NCMM), has allowed me to be a part of the solution. NCMM's mission is to create a highly visible and effective national mentoring campaign targeting the Black community.