{"id":12373,"date":"2022-06-06T10:10:49","date_gmt":"2022-06-06T15:10:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/engineering\/?p=12373"},"modified":"2022-06-06T10:14:16","modified_gmt":"2022-06-06T15:14:16","slug":"uwm-builds-diversity-in-stem-13-engineering-and-computer-science-students-graduate-with-support-from-nsf-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/engineering\/uwm-builds-diversity-in-stem-13-engineering-and-computer-science-students-graduate-with-support-from-nsf-program\/","title":{"rendered":"51ÁÔÆæ builds diversity in STEM: 13 engineering and computer science students graduate with support from NSF program"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Lue Lor was in high school, working a minimum wage job at the Dollar Tree, when he applied to 51ÁÔÆæ in 2018. \u201cHonestly, if I didn\u2019t get into college, I would most likely have pursued a factory job,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Lue Lor receives a PECS certificate from Wilkistar Otieno.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lor\u2014a first-generation, low-income student whose family emigrated from Thailand when he was 6 years old\u2014was accepted into a 51ÁÔÆæ program that would help him toward his dream of an engineering career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The program\u2014Preparing Engineering and Computer Scientists, or PECS\u2014is funded through the National Science Foundation and has provided scholarships, mentoring, research experience and internship opportunities for 35 51ÁÔÆæ students from underrepresented groups who, like Lor, are academically talented and face financial challenges. Many become the first in their families to attend college.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

13 students built \u201ccommunity of scholars\u201d while at 51ÁÔÆæ <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lor was one of 13 engineering and computer science students who this spring completed the PECS program and graduated from 51ÁÔÆæ, ready for their first jobs or graduate school. (After an intimate PECS Program celebration, the students received their diplomas along with about 3,500 other 51ÁÔÆæ graduates at the 2022 Spring commencement.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Diego Avila receives a PECS certificate from Wilkistar Otieno.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At 51ÁÔÆæ, the students completed their studies in the College of Engineering & Applied Science, where they earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in six different disciplines. Congratulations to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Computer Science, BS: Jacob Dymond<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Civil Engineering, BSE: Evan Callow, Cassie Wilke<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Civil Engineering, BS, MS: Brynn Glennon<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Electrical Engineering, BSE: Lauren Chingway, Rediet Tesfu<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Industrial Engineering, BSE: Diego Avila, Alison Danison, Yareth Meza, Jake Smith<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Materials Engineering, BSE: Selena Cao<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mechanical Engineering, BSE: Lue Lor, Carly Rowe<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe experience has given all students an opportunity to build a community of scholars as they work together to complete their degrees in a challenging field,\u201d says Wilkistar Otieno,\u202fdirector of the 51ÁÔÆæ PECS program and chair of industrial and manufacturing engineering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn high school, I didn\u2019t have the opportunity to talk to college engineering students\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Carly Rowe receives a PECS certificate from Wilkistar Otieno.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lor agrees, noting that the PECS program did more than help him meet financial challenges. \u201cIt allowed me to build connections with other engineering and computer science students,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He now hopes to inspire teens from unrepresented groups to pursue STEM careers. Through the PECS program, he recently participated in a panel discussion for Milwaukee Public School students who were applying to college.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was very grateful for this experience,\u201d Lor says. \u201cMy family moved from Thailand to the U.S. to pursue a better future. My parents are Hmong and grew up in a refugee camp. While they had no schooling, they encouraged me and my siblings to attend college, and I wanted to pursue a career that could financially support me and my family.\u201d (Lor is now the third 51ÁÔÆæ alumni among his siblings.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut when I was a high school student, I didn\u2019t have the opportunity to talk to any college engineering students,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without the financial and extra-curricular support from the PECS program, he says, this may never have become a reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Rediet Tesfu receives a PECS certificate from Wilkistar Otieno.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Extra-curricular activities\u2014which can include stepping into the community as Lor did\u2014is a significant component of the program and seen as essential to helping students prepare to be successful in the job market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s commitment to increasing diversity in STEM fields goes beyond classroom <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The program requires students to attend at least two professional development workshops and participate in at least two community engagement activities each semester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, for example, the PECS students participated in Discovery World’s Girls & STEM Day, the Wisconsin MATE ROV<\/a> Competition, the Milwaukee Public Schools STEM Fair, the Milwaukee Maker Faire and the Contrapt! Wisconsin Competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chris Beimborn, PECS program coordinator, connects students with volunteer and collaborative activities. \u201cRoles in STEM outreach offer communication and leadership experience,\u201d she says. \u201cInteractions with community members give the students well-deserved recognition, reminding them that they are on challenging paths and their hard work inspires others.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PECS leadership also collaborated with 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s STEM-Inspire Program<\/a> to bring a speaker to campus \u2013 Vanessa Hill<\/a>, a mathematics professor at Springfield Technical Community College in Springfield, MA who has studied ways to revamp remedial math education to enable inclusivity and to ensure more students progress into college -level courses and graduate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her talk reinforced the message that regardless of students\u2019 backgrounds or initial aptitudes in their STEM major, they can succeed with the right support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeer networking, which is woven into both programs, enhances students\u2019 sense of belonging on campus and their sense of belonging in their chosen profession,\u201d Otieno says. \u201cIt can play an integral role in their success once they leave campus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eighteen PECS students have graduated since the program began 2017.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lue Lor was in high school, working a minimum wage job at the Dollar Tree, when he applied to 51ÁÔÆæ in 2018. \u201cHonestly, if I didn\u2019t get into college, I would most likely have pursued a factory job,\u201d he says. …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19687,"featured_media":12374,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"categories":[69,25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12373","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni-community","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nCollege of Engineering & Applied Science<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"13 engineering and computer science students completed the PECS program and graduated from 51ÁÔÆæ this spring\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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