S-STEM students attend national scholars' meeting in Washington, DC
Two University of Nebraska at Omaha students, Javi Rodriguez-Flores and Brandon Villanueva-Sanchez, attended the 2023 Annual S-STEM Scholars Meeting this fall. A national gathering hosted by the Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) Resource and Evaluation Center (REC), the three-day conference encouraged scholars to network with their peers and potential employers, as well as participate in a number of professional development sessions.
UNO's S-STEM EMPLOYEE (Empowering undergraduates via Mentorship, Professional development, Leadership, and Opportunities for Youth Engagement) project provides innovative professional development opportunities that prepare students for 21st century employment in science via NE STEM 4U, a locally established, student-led, and faculty-supported UNO program that enhances student retention and success in the STEM disciplines.
Both Rodriguez-Flores, a cybersecurity major, and Villanueva-Sanchez, who's majoring in neuroscience, serve as officers for NE STEM 4U.
Villanueva-Sanchez said he and Rodriguez-Flores attended interactive sessions at the S-STEM Scholars' Meeting that covered personal finance skills, creating a career path in the sciences, applying to graduate school, and others.
"I loved this conference," Villanueva-Sanchez said. "It provided us a lot of opportunity to socialize with the up-and-coming generation of scientists across the nation. (The presenters) did not make the workshops feel like a lecture but rather very personable. After their presentation, we were allowed to ask questions relating to our specific situation."
“I’m so glad Javi and Brandon had the chance to represent UNO at the S-STEM Scholars’ Meeting this year,” said Paul W. Denton, Assistant Professor of Biology and principle investigator of the UNO's S-STEM project. “Both of them have bright futures ahead, and the meeting was a great opportunity for them to connect with other scholars and learn more about career development in STEM fields."
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DUE-1929154.