NSBE - Convention 2020 - 51

engineering and mathematics (STEM) and includes Microsoft Code Academy computer coding
instruction facilitated by Blacks at Microsoft and
Howard University computer science majors;
Mandarin and Spanish classes; competitions
in robotics, wind energy, math and designing
cities of the future; as well as a STEP Team and
Toastmasters Gavel Club.
Malene's sons, Curtis and Corey, are both members of the group, and both are students at School
Without Walls High School, which is located on

in NSBE in San Antonio as well,"
says Curtis, who enjoys computer
science, plans to get his next academic degree from an Historically
Black College or University
(HBCU) and has his sights set on
a career in paleontology.
Corey, also a stellar student,
has loved astronomy since his
father read the book "Goodnight
Moon" to him when he was a

"It's often like that in NSBE. It's just like
a family sometimes." - Curtis Lawrence III
George Washington University's campus. Earlier,
when the Lawrence family lived in San Antonio,
Texas, the brothers were members of the San
Antonio City Wide NSBE Jr. Chapter, from 2013
to 2016. Curtis, now a junior at School Without
Walls, is the youngest student ever to enroll
in GW's Early College Program, which gives
School Without Walls students the opportunity to
take courses at the university and earn an associate's degree.

'LIKE A FAMILY'
Curtis' busy schedule now has him rising at
6 a.m. Monday through Thursday to take college courses - in his first semester, Curtis took
Calculus I, Astronomy, University Writing, and
African Americans and Africa - and one high
school course, Physical Education, at School
Without Walls. Now in his second semester
at GW, Curtis is taking Calculus II, Historical
Geology, English Lit I, Political Science and
American Sign Language. College life has been
somewhat of a challenge, he admits, but "not as
hard as I thought it would be.... It just requires a
lot of time management, because I'm getting a lot
more work than I did at School Without Walls,"
says Curtis, who had a 3.57 grade point average
in his first semester.
"I'm still the youngest in all my classes," adds
Curtis, who skipped the 4th grade in San Antonio
because of his academic prowess and took the
SAT in 7th grade, at age 10. "So that hasn't
changed. I don't really feel any different."
Despite his heavy course load, Curtis says his
social life hasn't suffered. He looks forward to
having lunch with his schoolmates in the Early
College Program and being with his friends on
weekends during his NSBE chapter activities.
"It's often like that in NSBE. It's just like a
family sometimes. I used to have a lot of friends
www.nsbe.org

child. Later inspired
by the career of Neil
deGrasse Tyson, he now
plans to become an astrophysicist. He says he
has enjoyed his involvement with NSBE, too,
as well as the bonus of
having an older brother
to tutor him in STEM.
"I like the robotics
and math competitions.
They're really cool.
And I love the national
competitions (at NSBE's
Annual Convention),"
says Corey, who also
plans to enroll in an
HBCU. He and his brother have now attended
five NSBE conventions.
Corey recently took the
SAT for the second time
at the age of 13 and
scored 1070.

A WAY OF LIFE
Malene says her experience with her sons in the
San Antonio City Wide chapter inspired her to
found DMV NSBE Jr. after the family's move back
to the East Coast.
"I was inspired by Devethia and Carl
Thompson," the founders and leaders of the San
Antonio chapter, Malene says, "and I still communicate with them. They are the reason why I started the DMV NSBE Jr. chapter when we moved
to D.C.: because of their example and because of
what they did in that chapter, things like exposing Curtis to the SATs so early (through the Duke
University Talent Identification Program, TIP)

CONTINUED ON PAGE 52

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