LEAD Academic Programs

  The LEAD program is committed to helping high achieving youth convert their potential into responsible leadership. To accomplish this goal, LEAD has created three programs for youth: LEAD Business, LEAD Engineering and LEAD Global.

The LEAD Business opportunity is available for high school juniors who have a 3.0 GPA or better and who are involved in their schools and communities. During LEAD Business, students develop Summer Business Institutes (SBIs), 3 to 4 week residential programs that immerse participants in a range of topics from finance and marketing, to e-commerce and entrepreneurship. LEAD students (LEADers) attend SBIs the summer of their junior year and this time serves as the foundation for lifelong partnerships between outstanding students and the nation's leading corporations and business schools.

The application process for LEAD Business is extremely competitive and applicants are evaluated based on PSAT and other standardized test scores, grade-point averages, teacher recommendations, and personal essays.

The LEAD Business application can be found here and the application deadline is January 25, 2011.

The LEAD Engineering program is for sophomores and juniors who have a strong interest in mathematics and the sciences. LEAD Engineering exists to introduce students of color with outstanding academic performance and demonstrated leadership skills to the field of engineering. The mission of LEAD Engineering is to lay the foundation through an intense curriculum for an increase in the number and quality of diversified students interested in careers in engineering and other technical fields.

The Summer Engineering Institute (SEI) curriculum focuses on electrical, mechanical, civil, computer and civil engineering as well as associated disciplines including chemical, biotech, biomolecular, materials science, aerospace, polymer-textile/fiber and technological systems.

The LEAD Engineering application can be found here and the application deadline is 

January 25, 2011.

The LEAD Global program is available for high school freshmen and sophomores who are ready to live and study abroad. The Global program exposes American students of color to global career opportunities alongside peers from different countries in one program so that all participants might make better informed decisions when choosing a college or profession. LEAD Global will take place in Cape Town, South Africa at the University of Cape Town.

The LEAD Global application can be found here and the application deadline is January 25, 2011.