Emmanuel Ellerbee ’18 remembers when a player from the Houston Texans visited his middle school and encouraged students to study hard and go to college.
“I thought it was the coolest thing to see a professional player, a superstar we would see on TV every week, come to a school and give back to the kids and actually make an impact on the community,” said Ellerbee. “And it was a cool way to pay it forward.”
That day got Ellerbee, who has been playing in the National Football League for four years, thinking of what kind of legacy he wanted to leave. Obviously, he said, he wanted to be the best football player he could be. “But I also wanted to leave an impact that goes well beyond my stats, that goes well beyond the field, well beyond how many championships I will win,” said Ellerbee, who has played with the Atlanta Falcons, the Los Angeles Chargers, Seattle Seahawks and the Houston Texans. “I want a kid to say that I have made a difference in his or her life.”
Sparked by that desire, Ellerbee created a nonprofit organization, Bee’s Believers, last year to help underserved students discover their passions and achieve their goals by excelling in STEAM and athletics. Bee is an acronym for Be Exceptional in Everything, and the nonprofit’s mission is to provide students with opportunities that can expose them to the world of STEAM so that they can pursue careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.
Ellerbee knows that many young students also want to excel in sports and encourages them to do so but explains that they should always have a Plan B in case of injuries or other drawbacks that may end their dream of becoming a professional player. “Your body can be taken away from you at any moment,” he said, “but your mind can take you a lot further than your body.”
Samuel Stewart ’18, a Bee’s Believers board member, knows all too well about having a backup plan. A running back for four years at Rice, Stewart was injured and not able to play football anymore. He spent a few years in the financial industry and recently joined Michael Page, a professional recruitment company, as a recruitment consultant.
“We want kids to know that they can be a stellar athlete and also soar above the rest in the classroom,” he said. “We want to make sure that they know that the sky is the limit and they aren’t just defined by the sport they play.”
Ellerbee believes that underserved students should pursue a career in STEAM because fewer minorities are entering those fields. Ellerbee himself majored in civil engineering at Rice and plans to follow the STEAM route after his football career is over.
Last spring, Bee’s Believers hosted its first event, a six-week STEAM seminar conducted at Stafford High School. There, a total of 12 students from several Houston-areas schools, including Cristo Rey, Manville and Dawson, were exposed to the different STEAM fields. “We would take two hours each weekend and would bring in professionals who are in those industries and were once college athletes,” Ellerbee said.
Among the speakers was a physician and former Olympian who talked to the students about what it was like to be a star athlete and what made her pursue a career in medicine. Another presenter was a track runner at the University of Houston who now owns a graphic design company.
Also, as part of the students’ training, a football camp, with some students serving as trainers, was held at Rice, where they met professional and collegiate football players. “We wanted to expose the students to the hurdles and challenges that they will eventually face,” Ellerbee said. “We are trying to build a community and give the students an opportunity to have a safe space for them to learn.”
Students were also taught the importance of giving back to the community. The nonprofit organized a holiday meal drive in which the students served 100 meals in Houston’s Third Ward. They also worked as volunteers in a golf tournament to raise funds for Bee’s Believers.
Mikayla Goodwine, a 10th grader at Cristo Rey High School, said she signed up for the program because she wanted to know more about STEAM and career options and find out how to balance being an athlete and a good student.
“I learned that you can do anything you want to do as long as you put in the work,” she said. “What he (Ellerbee) is doing can and will inspire many Black children to know that there is a way to make it, but you have to give 100% to get there.”
Hilton Gray, a Houston Academy for International Studies 10th grader, said he learned how to overcome challenges, trust the advice of his parents, and strive for excellence in school, at home and in his community.
“Mr. Ellerbee’s efforts to help young students pursue a career in STEAM is phenomenal because his program personalizes the students’ learning experience,” Gray said. “As a result, we, the students, were able to make connections that are going to assist us with building our capacities as future STEAM professionals.”
Looking to the future, Ellerbee said he will continue to play professional football and run his nonprofit, which he wants to expand to include 50 students. He also plans to raise more funds to assure that the program is free of charge to all students.
“We are seeking students from communities that don’t have exposure or opportunities for STEAM careers,” he said. “I want to make sure that students don’t have a limiting factor and that money or support not be an obstacle in achieving their goals.”
— David D. Medina
Director
Multicultural Community Relations
Public Affairs