UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Eleven students from the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) attended the BLK Men in Tech (BMiT) THRIVE Conference on Oct. 10-13 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. THRIVE is a tech conference designed to foster connections, facilitate learning and promote personal development for all in the tech community, with a special focus on the Black male experience.

THRIVE is sponsored by BLK Men in Tech, a non-profit organization that provides access, resources and community for Black men within the tech industry and those who are interested in entering the space, according to the organization’s website. Kham Ward, founder of BLK Men in Tech, Inc. sponsored registration costs for six of IST’s attendees.

“It’s difficult for Black men in the tech field to find community,” said Jocelyn Bennett Garraway, assistant dean for diversity, equity and inclusion in the College of IST. “Experiences like the THRIVE conference can be reassuring and empowering for Black students, providing them with opportunities to engage with people who look like them that have achieved success in the field.”

The event featured talk sessions with leading speakers in the tech and culture space, recruitment opportunities and mixers. Attendees described the conference as more than just a networking or recruiting purpose — they said it was a brotherhood.

“Attending the BLK Men in Tech Conference was powerful and inspiring,” said Dashan Paige, a third-year student majoring in enterprise technology integration in the College of IST. “It opened my eyes to the limitless opportunities ahead and connected me with a community that felt like family. It was a brotherhood that showed me what true passion and a shared vision can achieve.”

Sage Phillips, a third-year student majoring in security and risk analysis, agreed.

“As a young Black man breaking into the IST ecosystem, the conference was enriching," he said. “It gave me the chance to meet with, talk to and learn from individuals who look like me that have already done it, setting the foundation that allows me to succeed.”

Coming together for THRIVE was the first time some of IST’s attendees had met one another.

“Here at Penn State, I wasn’t seeing people who look like me in my field,” said Michael Charles, a third-year student majoring in security and risk analysis. “Going to Fort Lauderdale to the conference seeing so many people of color and Black men in my field was truly surreal — it left me feeling empowered and inspired.”

Bennett Garraway said she is working on keeping that brotherhood alive at University Park with organized gatherings and events for Black men in IST to connect.

“Ultimately, we want them to have opportunities to lift each other up, be the leaders I know they are and inspire future generations of Black men to enter the field,” she said.