How do you maximize the power of your student community? Kyles Foster Jr. shares his journey to becoming the President of NSBE at MSU, one of the largest NSBE chapters in the country. Here You’ll learn:
- How passion for elevating others was key to his leadership journey
- How he and his team achieved their chapter's highest engagement in years with 150+ members.
- His vision for leadership
5 min read
Who are you and why/how did you become a student leader?
I’m Kyle Foster Jr., a Michigan State University (MSU) junior pursuing my B.S. and M.S. in electrical engineering. I was born and raised in East Lansing and spent a lot of time on the MSU campus, making it feel like a home away from home. Both of my parents are faculty in the College of Engineering at MSU, so I’ve had access to an extensive network and learned about career strategies from a young age.
When I got to college, I realized it would be disingenuous and selfish not to use my knowledge to help others on their journeys. This motivated me to take on leadership in small areas I could manage. I began leading and teaching the Michigander Scholars program at the end of my freshman year. Funded by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), this program allows me to teach hundreds of engineering students of all ages about professional intangibles and encourage them to take jobs in Michigan with a $10,000 incentive. After mentoring 100+ students of different ages, majors, and backgrounds, I leveraged my skills to run for president of the National Society of Black Engineers' MSU Chapter.
Tell us about your student organization.
As one of the biggest and most influential NSBE chapters in the Midwest, our executive board holds the highest standards of quality and prestige. With 16 successful student leaders, all of whom have completed internships or are trained mentors in professional development, we’ve cultivated an atmosphere of vision, confidence, and growth for our general body while facilitating meaningful connections between students and a wide range of companies seeking diverse talent.
This aligns with NSBE’s mission, which is to increase the number of culturally responsible Black Engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally, and positively impact the community. The vision of the MSU Chapter is to create an atmosphere where our members are empowered and ready to triumph over adversity and achieve their full potential.
What is an achievement your student organization has accomplished that you are most proud of?
When our executive board began its term in May, we envisioned the potential impact our combined networks could achieve. Throughout the summer, all 16 board members leveraged our personal and corporate connections to maximize the value we could offer our members.
With this intentionality, we sparked the highest engagement we've seen in years, with over 150 attendees at our kickoff meeting. We've also positioned ourselves to create pipelines for success that will significantly boost interview rates among our members by prequalifying and directly referring them to talent acquisition personnel at our partner companies. I’m extremely proud of my board members for stepping outside their comfort zones and working together to embody the NSBE mission.
What advice would you offer to current and future student leaders?
As a student leader, your main objective is to foster a loving and supportive work environment, free from unhealthy competition or toxicity. This forms the foundation for team efficiency and effectiveness. Be authentic and genuinely take a personal interest in your team members. When people feel that you want them to succeed, their output, confidence, and abilities are maximized. By building a culture around these values, everyone helps each other grow. Your teammates' success becomes your success, and vice versa.
We are building a community tailored at creating a space for pationate student leaders who want to grow, engage, and transform their groups into thriving student communities, while also growing professionally and using these experiences to set themselves up for success in their careers. It will be one of the first of its kind. Follow this link if you are ready to grow with us.
