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When Vincent Cobb had the chance to look at the GPAs of the 21 total number of Black students graduating from his Ohio high school class of approximately 250 students, he was shocked to see that only he and another Black student were in the top 10%, while the other 19 Black students, mostly men, were at the bottom of the list.

“How is that even possible? And I thought to myself, that’s not right. Because I knew the guys, they were smart,” said Cobb, a media technology analyst and engineer at Syracuse University and a 2022 recipient of the university’s Unsung Hero Award.

“In most of those guys, when they got into high school, they graduated and never went to college because it was never in the cards for them,” Cobb said. “And I said to myself, I have to do something about that because that’s wrong. And that’s been my mission.”

Cobb’s upbringing, faith and community-driven character have led him to form special bonds — bonds that run beyond his job title at SU — with those he meets, especially Black and underserved students.

The Unsung Hero Award is an honor given to SU staff, students and community members who exemplify the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of bringing hope and healing into the world, yet have not received widespread recognition for their contributions.

Congrats to @NewhouseBDJ staff member Vince Cobb on being named a 2022 Unsung Hero Award winner! He's taught hundreds of students camera tips at #TheCage https://t.co/ILMwxMGaxt #TeamNewhouse pic.twitter.com/uWYNNGvA5d

— Broadcast & Digital Journalism Department (@NewhouseBDJ) January 31, 2022

He joined SU in 1989 as an engineer under the university’s Information Technology Services, and Cobb later started working directly with Newhouse School of Public Communications in 2007 after being hired by one of his mentors, Dean Lorraine Branham. He oversees the “CAGE,” which provides multimedia equipment for Newhouse students.

Dona Hayes, an associate professor and the interim associate dean for special projects at Newhouse, said she has worked with Cobb for decades. She described how Cobb has been an integral part of Newhouse’s evolution and “will move mountains” for both faculty and students.

“His knowledge is wide-ranging and his fingerprints are in many, many places in Newhouse, both current and past,” Hayes said. “Maybe that’s why he’s unsung, because his fingerprints are there, and I’m not sure everybody realizes how many fingerprints of his are there.”

Not only does Cobb utilize his media technology skills to help students become multimedia storytellers, but he also extends these skills and his life experiences in connecting with the community and motivating students of color to achieve.

“I didn’t do anything for an award. I would do this if no one ever knew about it,” Cobb said. “I will continue to fight and push for minorities and people who I think are marginalized and have great opportunities to be great things in life, but people never (told) them or never opened them up to those opportunities,” he said.

Cobb said he has always been an advocate for helping students who are underserved and struggle in certain areas of math and science. He expressed how both his parents did not finish high school, and so he had to work harder to understand material himself since his parents did not have the knowledge in subjects like math and writing to help him. Since his teachers had pushed him to succeed, he decided to push other students in return, especially students of color.

Brianna Downing, the vice president of content strategy at Conceptual Geniuses — a woman-owned, minority business enterprise — said that Cobb represented a father figure for her as her work study supervisor during her time as a SU student about 20 years ago.

She said there were not many Black students at Newhouse while she was there and seeing someone as generous as Cobb inspired her.

Eric Derachio Jackson Jr., an SU graduate and mentee of Cobb, worked at the CAGE, where Cobb not only was his boss but also represented someone who looked like him in the production industry, he said. After graduating from SU, Jackson started his own media company, Black Cub Productions.

“As an African American man, being able to see him putting himself out in the community inspired me to also want to do similar things,” Jackson said. “Him being out in the community and doing that work and bringing students along like me to help and contribute is just awesome.”

Cobb held events to promote Black students to become entrepreneurs and teach students how to market their programs with technology, and Jackson witnessed and was involved with Cobb’s community work with nonprofits, both locally and nationally.

While his father’s work ethic inspired him to create a bigger impact at the university and his mother’s passing motivated him to get involved with the Genesis Health Project Network, a project promoting health and wellness for African American families. Cobb said that accessibility, from public facilities to education, is critically important to success.

Cobb immediately adapted to the Syracuse community, he said, but realized there was a lot of negativity towards people of color. He made it his mission to stand up for fairness and equitably. He serves on SU’s Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility Committee and has represented a voice to articulate concerns on behalf of parents who couldn’t successfully do so for their children at Syracuse city schools through the Youth Advocacy Mentoring Program.

Cobb also said that he has provided academic support and worked with the parents of children he has coached in basketball as well as at his church, the Greater Evangelical Church of God in Christ.

Kenneth W. Reed, the pastor of the church, has known Cobb for over 30 years and described how Cobb’s roles as the media and technology director and deacon have exemplified his character.

“One of the definitions for love is that it works and retires, which means it doesn’t parade itself,” Reed said. “It doesn’t put itself out there. It just does what it does and doesn’t have to make noise about it. And that’s Vince.”

Richard Breyer, a professor in Newhouse’s television, radio and film program who has also worked with Cobb for decades, highlighted Cobb’s ability to recognize needs in the community and place into action changes to ensure they work. Breyer mentioned Cobb’s work with The SENSES Project, which seeks to make creating music accessible for marginalized students.

“I noticed the way the (students) looked up at Vince,” Breyer said. “I see the way they look at him with respect and gratitude.”

Cobb said the award partially covers how he stood up for the injustices presented to both his growth as a Black employee at the university and the growth of students of color at a predominantly white institution like SU. He said he encourages the community to connect with one another and step up to the issues present within the university and city.

“If you’re a community member trying to make an impact, reach out to someone who is in a situation where you can help them out by words, by spending time with them, doing a kind act for that person, telling them you have great confidence in them or that God blesses you and you’ve lived a wonderful life,” Cobb said. “Just being positive. That goes a long way, and people see themselves in how people see you.”

Published on February 20, 2022 at 11:33 pm

Contact Lilli: laiannel@syr.edu | @LilliIannella