NSBE president, Engineering Fellow Bead honored as NSBE inaugural 25 under 25 recipient
Amareah Bead’s senior year was already awesome.
She was president of the mother chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) at Purdue University. She was a Purdue Engineering Fellow. A Kiewit Scholar. And, as she had been every year since 2023, Bead was giving tours as a Purdue Student Engineering Foundation (PSEF) ambassador.
At the NSBE annual convention March 18-22 in Baltimore, Bead was recognized for leadership and positive impact.
On a national stage.
Bead, a civil engineering major, was selected to NSBE’s inaugural “25 Under 25” list.
“I feel like I've been able to contribute a lot to NSBE, whether that was through the 50th celebration last year, or even this year with all its challenges,” said Bead, from Davidsonville, Maryland. “I got to grow as a part of NSBE, and I feel like I've helped other people grow too, which is cool.”
NSBE’s 25 Under 25 recognizes leaders within the organization who have demonstrated immense amounts of positive impact within their chapters, universities or the organization at large. Applications to 25 Under 25 included essay questions, a professional reference and a resume demonstrating leadership, connection and positive impact. The inaugural honorees led a roundtable discussion on leadership with high school convention attendees and set the precedent for future 25 Under 25 nominees.
There’s also something commemorative coming in the mail, Bead said. But what it is remains a mystery for now.
What has never been a mystery to Bead — or to anyone who knows her in the NSBE mother chapter — is that her primary goal always has been joyfully supporting colleagues and friends in engineering.
“It breaks my heart when people say they can’t make it in engineering or that they don’t belong,” Bead said. “If I can make it, I truly think anyone can. So many alums, at Purdue and in NSBE, pour so much into helping us succeed.”
Bead’s involvement with NSBE began in the first semester at Purdue. After spending one year in NSBE, Bead was elected to the “Admin Zone,” the leading executive committee which oversees all four zones of the mother chapter. She served in three positions over three years in Admin Zone. The first role was as program chair in 2023, followed by a vice presidency in 2024 and presidency in 2025.
Bead’s leadership and collaborative nature were key to the planning and execution of the 50th Founder’s Day celebration, which honored NSBE’s Purdue origins and welcomed four of “The Chicago Six” — the six Purdue students who are credited with creating NSBE in 1975. Immense coordination went into the event, given that it was a national celebration. The mother chapter worked with the needs of each founder, alums who wanted to visit and Purdue leadership to make the celebration both smooth and successful.
“The success of the celebration reflected Amareah's ability to steward history while inspiring future generations,” said Tamara Markey, Purdue’s NSBE chapter advisor and director of Engineering Student Success. “She leads with clarity and accountability, balancing vision with execution and earning trust across students, alumni and university partners.”
To anyone who looks at Bead’s impressive resume and bright smile, she is a paragon of joyful leadership.
Bead takes the praise and spreads it across the mosaic of friends, mentors, models and professors who supported her along the way.
Leadership was a team effort. Just like engineering.
“Being able to trust others, rely on them and prepare future leaders are crucial to ensuring NSBE has a strong future,” Bead said. “Sustainability of organizations comes from having future leaders. We're only here for four years, so you must be able to pass on knowledge and trust other people to take up what you’ve built.”