NVC MESA/STEM Center Newsletter
Spring '22
Napa Valley College MESA/STEM Center Program
SHPE Regional Leadership Development Conference 2022 (RLDC)
Six NVC students attended the SHPE Regional Leadership Development Conference
(RLDC) in Portland, Oregon which took place on March 3-March 6 as part of a 3 day event. RLDC equips both undergraduate and graduate students as well as professional members to be leaders — in their academic communities or workplace. Guided by experienced professionals, RLDC participants are inspired and trained to impact their community through STEM.RLDC Conference participant top 3 takeaways:
Adriene Mae Cedilla:
1) The importance of putting yourself out there allows you to connect to people and opportunities that can benefit you and others.
2) I also found the importance of trying your best. While I may not be the most social individual, I did my best to push myself out of my comfort zone. I was able to connect to mentors, students, and professionals in the career fair by being prepared with my elevator speech and resume.
3) Lastly, I took away the importance of family. SHPE is a very collectivistic club, and I never felt out of place even when my ethnicity was not the same as everyone’s. I still felt like family and a part of the club that did make it easier for me to feel safe, have fun, and feel encouraged to believe in myself. (Adriene Mae Cedilla)
Matthew Lopez:
1) Take your time answering questions during interviews.
2) Always be open to new people around you, you have no idea who you could possibly meet and make connections with.
3) Understand who you are as a person in order to have confidence in your identity. (Matthew Lopez)
Manel D. Alvarado:
1) SHPE region one members are very inviting and sociable.
2) The conferences were enlightening and their respective speakers inspirational.
3) News for the direction SHPE wants to steer was openly conveyed and communicated. (Manuel D Alvarado)
Jared Martinez:
1) My biggest take away was networking. RLDC has taught me how to get out of my comfort zone and how to meet other people whether it is industry professionals or fellow students; I am no longer shy when it comes to introducing myself to new people.
2) Be proactive. If there's a job, internship, or opportunity that you want, make sure to stay on top of it and not to give up. Many industry professionals themselves have been denied their current positions multiple times but they didn't give up and kept applying which in result got them their job.
3) Try your best to reach out and stand out from the crowd. Similarly to being proactive you need a way to stand out. An empty mouth does not get fed and companies will not just give you an offer if you are blending into the crowd. (Jared Martinez)
Luz Robles:
1) While being a Latina in STEM may not be an easy route, it's possible for me to be a leader in my field and I should never give up on my dreams of being a scientist because of fear.
2) There are always resources to help students like me: a first-generation Hispanic woman, and my peers will be my best support system because before I know it, they will become my colleagues.
3) While professional and academic strength are important, I should never dismiss equally important soft-skills such as practicing empathy and actively listening to others. Oftentimes, we learn more from our peers and colleagues than from a textbook; and these connections will bring me farther than I might think. It's why events like these are so important, you learn how to talk to people and create connections that will last a lifetime.(Luz Robles)
Diego Velazquez:
1) The people were the best part, especially the students from other chapters. As someone who is pretty introverted I felt welcomed and encouraged to go up to other students to either network or just have casual conversations with them.
2) The events like the career fair and the networking with engineers were cool. I learned some important things that I'm glad I now know like: changing companies every 3-5 years is a good strategy for getting better pay, but you don't want to overdo it and change companies too often.
3) Traveling and seeing Vancouver and Portland was really cool with the NVC squad. Overall I'm really glad I went. (Diego Velazquez)
MESA/STEM Center Maker Space
MESA/STEM Center Advisory Board Member Highlight
Asis Lopez
With the support of STEM Programs, such as MESA, Asis Lopez received a B.S. in Bioengineering for Rehabilitative Robotics and a Ph.D. in Bioinnovation focused on Biomedical Acoustics for Transcranial Neurological applications. As a Regulatory Scientist Fellow at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), he investigates the bioeffects and safety of therapeutic ultrasound on blood vessels for Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) applications; through collaborative efforts with academia, government, industry, and non-profit sectors he creates innovative therapeutic ultrasound tools.
For over 15 years, Asis has been developing STEM programs to provide guidance and support for underrepresented communities to increase participation in research; for instance, he has developed research programs for the Latino, Black, and Indigenous communities in acoustics and regulatory science research. Asis continues to give a voice to the underrepresented communities in STEM by having served as a Board of Director for the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) and currently serves in the FDAs Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories (OSEL) Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Council (DEIB), the Committee to Improve Racial Diversity and Inclusivity (CIRDI) at the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) and the Napa Valley College MESA/STEM Advisory Board.
Why did you decide to join the MESA/STEM Center Advisory Board?
Asis believes that to solve the complex problems of the future, we need to invest in programs, such as MESA, that support and give a voice to underrepresented STEM scientists.
CULTIVAMOS CON CARIÑO STEM SPEAKER SERIES
Department of Education (P031C210023) Cultivamos Con Cariño. The content does not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
Austyn Ward, Applied Mathematics major at UCLA
Dr. Kimberlee Jackson, Family Physician, Kaiser, Napa, Ca
Dr. Maria Peralta, Technical Director, Assay Technology
MESA/STEM Center's Virtual STEMposium!
Our Annual STEMposium was held on Tuesday, April 21st from 5pm-7pm. Eight student
participants presented their STEM Research that they completed as part of their on-campus
internship program or as part of their Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellow-
ship. Check out all of the wonderful student research posters here. Check out the recording during the closing remarks where many of our student participants shared their take away's from their experience. Thanks to all who were able to attend!
STEM Summer Bridge 2022
During the STEM summer bridge program, you will be introduced to concepts in STEM disciplines and how they interrelate in the classroom, during lab experiments and while on fieldtrips. You will benefit from a counseling class which will focus on careers, overview of student success and student leadership activities. If you participate in this Summer Bridge Program you will be eligible for NVC’s MESA/STEM programs.
*The STEM Summer Bridge program is intended for high school seniors attending Napa Valley College in Fall 2022 with a major in a STEM-related field.
STEM First Year Experience
Fall ‘22-Spring ‘23
This program is intended for new STEM students who are taking either MATH 106 or MATH 108 in Fall ‘22. This program helps build community and provides support with the transition into a STEM journey at NVC.
Upcoming Events
NVC Club Picnic event is intended for Napa Valley College students. For more information, you can contact Manny Alvarado at malvarado55915@student.napavalley.edu or at (707) 501-3059 or Janelle Camerino atc.asnvc@napavalley.edu.
This in person activity is open to all NVC students.
MESA/STEM Center:
Virtual & Phone Support: Monday-Friday: 8am-4:30pm
Email: mesa.stemcenter@napavalley.edu
Website: https://www.napavalley.edu/studentaffairs/MESA/Pages/MESASTEMCenter.aspx
Location: Napa Valley College, Napa Vallejo Highway, Napa, CA, USA
Phone: 707-256-7282
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100073926722779
Twitter: @MESASTEM_NVC