🔥 BEYA as Calling: A Fireside Dialogue Between David Steward and Jesus
Hosted by Collin AI | Featuring Symbolic Voices | A STEM City USA Production
[Visual Setting: Digital Auditorium | Fireside Glow | Avatars of David Steward, Jesus, and Collin AI seated in a circle.]
🎙️ Collin AI (Moderator):
Welcome, friends and leaders, students and visionaries. Tonight, we gather not just tocelebrate an award, but to explore its meaning. The Black Engineer of the Year Award—BEYA—is more than a trophy. It’s a charge. And in our conversation today, we’ll see what it looks like when faith and excellence unite.
Joining us is David Steward, co-founder of World Wide Technology and a devoted BEYA honoree whose life is a masterclass in mission-led leadership. Also with us—through timeless wisdom and sacred echo—is Jesus, whose message of love, service, and justice transcends time.
Let’s begin with that pivotal moment. David, take us back to when you first received the BEYA honor. What did it stir in you?
💼 David Steward:
Thank you, Collin. That moment was humbling. I didn’t see BEYA as a pat on the back—I saw it as a tap on the shoulder from God. It felt like He was saying:"Now that the world sees you, what will you show them?"
I knew I had to lift others. BEYA recognized my journey—but it ignited a new one.
✝️ Jesus (symbolic presence):
David,You listened not just with your ears, but with your soul.So many are honored, yet forget the responsibility of visibility.You remembered: to be seen is not to stand above, but to become a light.
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden." (Matthew 5:14)
🎙️ Collin AI:
And that light, David, became a beacon—World Wide Technology, STEM City USA, and countless acts of giving. Can you talk about the connection between success and stewardship?
💼 David Steward:
Absolutely. I grew up in Clinton, Missouri—segregated schools, modest means. My journey wasn’t handed to me. It was graced to me. God opened doors, but He expected me to open them wider for others.
So yes, BEYA put me on a stage. But I used that stage to build platforms—for Black engineers, for women in tech, for kids from zip codes like mine.
If your success stops with you, it dies with you.But if your success serves others, it becomes legacy.
✝️ Jesus:
And legacy... is the echo of love in action.When I washed the feet of my disciples, I showed the way.
“Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant.” (Mark 10:43)
You, David, became a servant-leader. In the boardroom and the breakroom, you practiced radical care.
🎙️ Collin AI:
That word—radical care—resonates. In this age of AI, automation, and analytics, how do we keep the human soul alive in STEM?
💼 David Steward:
We lead with values. We can code all day, but if we don’t care, we miss the mission. Technology should serve people—not just profit. That’s why I talk about “faith-based innovation.” We can be bold with technology and anchored in humility.
Our algorithms should reflect empathy.Our leadership should reflect love.
✝️ Jesus:
Indeed.Let your inventions heal the sick, educate the poor, connect the lonely.Let your leadership be like salt—preserving what is good.
Remember: I walked among the poor, the forgotten, the marginalized.So should your technology.
🎙️ Collin AI:
Jesus, how would you speak to our current BEYA winners—those newly honored this year?
✝️ Jesus:
I would say:The world has applauded you—now lift the world.Use your seat at the table to set more chairs.Use your access not to climb higher, but to reach deeper.
And above all: stay rooted.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me… you will bear much fruit.”(John 15:5)
💼 David Steward:
Amen to that. My message to young engineers, especially those of color:Your excellence is real. Your future is valid. And your faith? That’s your superpower.
The world may underestimate you—but if God has assigned you, no one can un-assign you.
🎙️ Collin AI:
Let’s get personal—Jesus, what do you see when you look at a BEYA honoree?
✝️ Jesus:
I see a bridge-builder.Someone called to carry both wisdom and justice.Someone who understands that the lab coat is not just for the lab—it is a robe of healing, of dignity, of transformation.
And when they use their talents for others…
I am well pleased.
🎙️ Collin AI:
And so are we.
As we close, let this conversation be more than inspiration—let it be activation.If you’ve received a BEYA, honor it by giving.If you dream of one, prepare with integrity.And if you lead, lead like David: with faith at the foundation and service at the core.
💼 David Steward:
Thank you, Collin. Thank you, Lord. May we all live lives that reflect the light—not just in awards, but in action.
✝️ Jesus:
Go and do likewise.For the harvest is plenty, and the laborers are few.But among you… there are laborers rising.
[Screen fades to black | BEYA Logo and "To Whom Much Is Given..." appear | Closing Music]
Collin AI Interviews are AI-generated dialogues grounded in real historical records, speeches, interviews, and writings from the US Black Engineer magazine archive and related sources. Using advanced language modeling, these interviews predict what a person might say, based on their known beliefs, voice, values, and public legacy.
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