Launched in collaboration with Apple through its Racial Equity and Justice Initiative, the yearlong PROPEL Center Arts & Entertainment Industry Accelerator is designed to bolster diversity throughout the industry.
The Accelerator was also designed to provide pathways for Historically Black College or University (HBCU) students into careers in industries that are very competitive.
These are just a handful of the qualities participants in this year’s PROPEL Center Arts & Entertainment Industry Accelerator identified in their “What’s Your Superpower?” course, designed to empower students to uncover and embrace their authentic selves throughout their careers.
Discovering their superpowers is just one way students are learning to prepare for their careers after graduation.
Since February, the students have completed micro-credential courses through the PROPEL Learn app, participated in virtual career panels with professionals at Apple, and attended résumé-writing workshops to build their portfolios and begin preparing for their career journeys.
This year, the accelerator brought participants onto the campuses of Tennessee State University in Nashville and Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta.
This summer, 50 participants— were selected from 19 HBCUs to attend an immersive 10-day experience on the campuses of Tennessee State University in Nashville and Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta.
They received mentorship from HBCU faculty and industry professionals in both creative and executive roles, and worked side by side with experts at the Apple Music Nashville office.
The accelerator was launched with the PROPEL Center as part of Apple’s $25 million investment through its Racial Equity and Justice Initiative to help dismantle systemic barriers to opportunity and combat injustices faced by communities of color.
Its curricula was designed to provide new pathways for HBCU students into careers in industries that are notoriously competitive.
“Subject-matter experts are everything along this journey,” says Dr. Lisa Herring, the PROPEL Center’s president.
PROPEL’s president, Dr. Lisa Herring, says the ability to have a 10-day immersive experience is a game changer:
“We really get to see talent on display, and we get to curate and pour into that in ways that also expose students not only to other professionals, but other like-minded peers across HBCU campuses.”
The students received mentorship from industry professionals and gained deeper insight into unexpected areas with the most opportunities for new talent.
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The PROPEL Center is a first-of-its-kind global innovation and learning hub for HBCUs. To support the next generation of diverse leaders, PROPEL provides educational programming and career preparation across a wide range of disciplines, including AI, agricultural technologies, social justice, entertainment, app development, augmented reality, design, and the creative arts.
Experts from Apple help develop the curricula, and provide ongoing mentorship and internship opportunities.
Apple’s collaboration with PROPEL is designed to provide talented students with the technology, resources, and expertise they need to become industry leaders, whether they pursue roles in arts and entertainment, technology, or beyond.
In Nashville, students visited the National Museum of African American Music for a fireside chat with Ebro Darden, Apple Music’s global editorial head of Hip Hop and R&B; got hands-on with experts in their fields at the Apple Music Nashville office and Universal Music Group’s East Iris Studios; and participated in an experience with the Apple Downtown Nashville store.
The PROPEL program does a really great job of giving HBCU students a platform to truly show who they are.
