Engineer turns sports stereotype into STEM opportunity for youth

Read the original article from the York Dispatch here.

In a world where appearances often fuel assumptions, one York County man is using his experiences to break down stereotypes and inspire the next generation.

"I am an athletic type person. I am a minority. And to the outside world, they assume that I'm automatically a professional football player," said Wayne Martin, who's found success as an engineer.

"So many times out and about, people ask, 'Hey, did you play football?' or 'Oh, are you a football player?'" he continued. "Over time, that kind of built up to a point where I wanted to communicate to the public in a nonverbal way to let them know that, hey, I'm not a football player."

That desire gave rise to The Academic Athlete, a nonprofit organization with a mission to show youth paths to success outside sports.

Growing up in Baltimore, Martin felt athletics was his only way to rise above poverty.

"It's why I'm so passionate about reaching youth with the message that a focus on academics, and specifically STEM, holds so much potential for long-term success and fulfillment," said Martin. "With a background in engineering, I have come full circle to see the impact of academics on my life, and I want to help as many students as possible experience the same opportunities."

Martin is the founder and president of MDS Engineering, an engineering firm in York City—and now, the founder of The Academic Athlete.

"It's about getting in front of the youth and basically giving my background, where I came from, who I am as a person and letting them know that all the hurdles and obstacles that I had to overcome to get to this point of being an engineer—a professional licensed engineer, a successful licensed engineer that owns a business as well," explained Martin.

That, he said, helped him remove himself from poverty. His goal is to offer young people role models beyond athletes.

"The youth in these communities only see and idolize what they see on TV," he said. "Mainly what they see is professional athletes, and the professional athletes are living and doing everything that they love. They see that they look like them, too."

Of course, athletics are a big gamble — even for the most talented young people.

Martin said the STEM fields give people an alternative in the likely event they don't make the cut when it comes to collegiate and professional athletics.

Martin envisions a physical facility for hands-on mentoring and STEM-related activities in phase two of the nonprofit. School districts and nonprofits could use it to provide mentoring and STEM activities.

It's about creating a space that fosters curiosity and innovation, offering mentorship from professionals who have walked similar paths and can offer valuable insights. This facility would allow kids to engage with technology and engineering in ways that traditional classrooms might not accommodate. By offering hands-on experiences, the program hopes to spark long-term interest and provide the necessary resources to sustain that passion.
He highlighted the importance of targeting youth early, mainly first to eighth graders, which he called the "sweet spot." This is their time of trying to understand and figure life out, and it helps prepare them over the years as they approach high school to make better decisions for their futures.

When students are introduced to STEM early, they can start developing the skills and confidence necessary to pursue those fields, Martin said. By the time they reach high school, they have a clearer idea of the options available to them, potentially choosing specialized schools or programs that align with their interests.

Martin faced obstacles growing up in Baltimore

"For me, my entire background provided many challenges to becoming an engineer. From the environment that I grew up in and all the different distractions that are there," Martin said, noting that the common paths were prison or death. "For me personally, I am very humbled and grateful to even be in the position that I am here today, let alone alive."

He described how football was initially an escape. "Football was like an outlet for me to just get away from the day-to-day growing up. So that allowed me to really think, hey, maybe I want to be a football player when I grow up."

His path to engineering began by chance. "I had to choose a focus. I decided to go to Morgan State and chose electrical and computer engineering simply because I enjoyed being on computers. The unfortunate part of it is I didn't go into that because that's what I already had background or knowledge of," Martin explained.

Today, he encourages youth to pursue sports but to think long-term. "Whatever sport they love and enjoy, they should continue playing. But at the end of the day, the goal here is to put yourself in a position for longevity. There's always life after sports."

He cited the demand for STEM careers. "STEM-related careers have increased by over 80% in the past three decades, and in the next 10 years, they're going to continue to grow with very lucrative salaries.

A career in STEM not only provides financial stability but also opens doors to innovation and leadership roles that have the potential to transform communities. By leveraging the discipline and teamwork learned through sports, students can apply those same skills to thrive in STEM professions."

He hopes to show youth that even if they don't become professional athletes, there are still ways to stay connected to the sports world.

"You could be in a career path that allows you to be a doctor for professional athletes, an architect designing stadiums or an engineer designing infrastructure for sports facilities."

The program's website, theacademicathlete.org, provides more information and opportunities for donations.

"And at the end of the day, this message is not a one-and-done," said Martin. "This is something for generations to come as we continue to educate the current youth. They'll be able to educate and pass on their information down to their children and their community this message to those generations to come."