Rep. Steve Pearce met with students in the National Society of Black Engineers pre-college program Saturday.
Pearce talked about the importance of using education to rise to the top in a forum discussion at UNM.
Pearce asked students why it's important to get an education, what they were going to do with it and how they're working on achieving it.
"I was always embarrassed being a kid from the farm," Pearce said of his education. "Now I'm in Congress, and people are saying, 'You know, maybe farm kids aren't so dumb after all.'"
The program, which began in 1985, meets in UNM's Mechanical Engineering building every Saturday. It has about 50 participants from ages 6 to 17. The students concentrate on math and science with a focus on technology.
Pearce discussed the incomes of college graduates, the work it takes to get a degree and why it's important to rise to the top.
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He cited driven African-Americans like Colin Powell and the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II.
"I'm very passionate about kids who are unsure of whether or not they can succeed," Pearce said. "If I can pull myself out of my circumstances, you can pull yourself out of yours."
Program coordinator Debra Johns said the program was created to help minority students succeed in academics.
"Before this program, African-American students' needs were not being met," she said. "They were not being put into gifted classes and science competitions. The goal is for the children to eventually enter science-related fields."
