Experiential learning opportunities are vital for nurturing students’ sense of agency, authenticity, and autonomy in engineering. As a Black male engineering student at a historically White institution, I repeatedly experienced isolation as the only Black person in many of my classes. This lack of belonging was exacerbated by my doubt of becoming an engineer since I rarely had the opportunity to bring my whole self to the classroom to fulfill graduation requirements created for reasons that were unknown to me. Similarly, students are stripped of their agency to direct their own learning due to lack of choice in and outside of school. I am committed to immersing students in literature through an interdisciplinary lens so they have foundational knowledge on how to create culturally sustainable innovations to dismantle systemic inequities. Giving students ample opportunity for connecting theory and practice, developing agency, and engaging in critical reflection and dialogue will serve them in learning their passions and connecting their whole selves with their learning experiences.