A Morehouse alum is sowing his communal roots in STEAM opportunities, particularly for his city’s youth.
Inspired by hometown heroes of his own, Grant Bennett wanted to pave a way for the young students in Fayetteville, North Carolina, to build bright futures. Understanding the versatility of courses in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics, Bennett built his own organization to get kids excited about professional ambitions.
In 2019, Bennett launched The Two-Six Project. The organization provides leadership development and educational resources to underserved youth in Fayetteville. Headquartered at the historic Orange Street school, a renovated community space that once served as the first publicly funded schools for Black youth in the city, Two-Six hosts its own “Labs,” ranging from a music studio, garden, and auxiliary room for participants.
“My mission really is to promote true agendas of freedom. I believe that
in my corporate work and the work I do now. I want to show people there’s no limits to anything that you can do,” the Google employee explained to Afrotech.The organization’s offerings include its signature Emerging Leaders Development Program, in which high schoolers can gain college-readiness, mentorship, and financial literacy education. Another avenue lies in its STEAM scholars program, introducing participants to robotics, coding, and sustainable energy, showcasing the possibilities and creativity of unique fields.
“So I think part of our job is to showcase and give them the exposure to what can be, what these industries are, and giving them that foundational knowledge to at least know that it’s there,” added the Morehouse alum.
However, the Two-Six Project does not stop there. It also offers a Sports initiative to help kids stay as strong on the field as in the classroom, while helping elementary schoolers strengthen their reading skills with a children’s literacy program.
Bennett’s personal mission is tied to his upbringing. Growing up in the North Carolina town, he noticed the limited opportunities and resources surrounding him and his classmates. Although he could not see all that was possible, Bennett still fought for a future that better suited his passions.
“Fayetteville is not Charlotte, it’s not Raleigh, it’s not like a big city. There’s no big buildings, there aren’t huge corporations and companies in Fayetteville. So as a kid, you’re really limited in terms of your exposure in terms of what you can be. Most of the people we saw growing up were teachers, they were in the military, they worked in the healthcare field, like doctors and lawyers. Very traditional careers. So like there was no idea of me being anything other than what I was exposed to,” he added.
It was a high school program for information technology that piqued Bennett’s interest, as well as advice from a famed N.C. rapper, that kept Bennett believing in his own dreams. Through his matriculation at Morehouse, Bennett met his idol, whose words of encouragement stuck with him.
“Cole was real big talking to us back then about education … I got a chance to chop it up with him again as a junior in high school,” he recalled. “I told him I had an offer from A&T and Morehouse, and when I said Morehouse, he was like, ‘Bro, I just left Morehouse…I actually was talking in a psychology class. The professor was super dope. Like you should go see Morehouse and see
the world, and if you don’t like Atlanta, you can always come back home. Go see the world, allow for that to help inform who you are and what you see, and then when you’re old enough, you’ll be able to come back and give back.’”Now, he seeks to become the same inspiring force for the kids of Fayetteville through the Two-Six project.
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