Adriane Brown Awarded MIT’s 2015 Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Award

Given to those who’ve demonstrated “’service to the community including academic, research, religious, and secular contributions in which integrity, leadership, creativity, and positive outcome are apparent,” Adriane was nominated by a current MIT student who heard her speak during a recent campus visit and in large part because of her commitment to mentoring young people.

A tireless advocate of underserved youth, Adriane has focused her civic efforts – through her national board position with Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) – on ensuring young people finish high school, are employable, and are productive citizens. There she’s spent more than 10 years helping the students least likely to succeed get the support they need to graduate. On a local level, she was also involved in establishing a JAG chapter in Washington state.

Adriane is also passionate about helping young people of all ages develop an interest in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Adriane sits on the board of directors for the Pacific Science Center and regularly participates in events focused on STEM such as the Expanding Your Horizons conferences where she inspires girls with her own story as the keynote speaker. Most recently, Adriane visited LaSalle-Backus Education Campus in Washington, D.C. where she addressed a group of fourth through eighth grade students about her career journey, the challenges she faced along the way, and how she overcame them to become both a leader and a role model for girls who want to pursue careers in STEM. By the end of her visit, 22 of the young girls signed up for the school’s STEM and robotics club.

Congratulations to Adriane and her fellow awardees!

More on MIT’s Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Award can be found here.