SUIT UP, a mentor organization, has started up to help combat negative ideas held within the minority community.

The purpose of SUIT UP is to reform the minds of the minority community. Its focus is to empower predominately minority students in the community with a focus on their academic, emotional and societal thrive.

Faith Abili, senior biology major from Nigeria, is the acting leader who came up with the idea. She said she wants to help promote a positive self-esteem among minority students.

“I want to reshape that social status that everyone has been trained to see as a minority,” Abili said. “I just want to show them that people who look like you are able to push past the boundaries that have been set by society and that sometimes the boundaries are just in your mind.”

SUIT UP consists of Abili and nine other students coming from different backgrounds. It has joined with Craig Middle School as a start-up effort.

One of the students involved is Tilia Boomer, junior nursing major from Fort Worth. She said she found interest in the group because of the message it sends to the youth they work with.

“As a minority, I feel it will be helpful to show these kids that we don’t have to be the stereotype that has been given to us,” Tilia said. ” We want to get it in their mind that if we can beat the stereotype, they can too.”

To help break the idea of stereotypes, members of SUIT UP dress in business casual clothes. The purpose of this is to break the mold of how certain minorities are expected to dress.

The long-term goal of SUIT UP is to have a stable non-profit organization in the community to extradite the false preconceived ideas held within the minority community and to promote a positive and enriching self image within the minds of the children.

SUIT UP is currently looking for more students to become mentors. It is not exclusive to minorities. If interested, contact Abili through email at faa11a@acu.edu.