STEM Possible

March 10, 2020
STEM possible event

The SDSU College of Engineering Femineer® Program recently partnered with the San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering for the second year in a row to host the 2020 STEM Possible event on Tuesday, March 10, 2020.  The event was held in Montezuma Hall at the SDSU Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union. The San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering is a ten-day educational experience including interactive demonstrations, hands-on activities and dynamic speakers to engage kids and families in all that encompass STEM.

As an official San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering Festival Week event, over 100 students from Kearny, San Diego, Mountain Empire, Clairemont, Southwest, and Westview High Schools attended STEM Possible. The day began with an Inspirational STEM Advocate Panel moderated by Megan Perry from ABC 10News and including Kaitlin Pugliese from Illumina, Crystal Garcia from C&S Companies, Brandon Woolley from TaylorMade Golf Company, and Chequala Fuller from SDG&E. Each shared their personal stories and advice to students to emphasize that there are multiple pathways to obtain STEM jobs. It surprised many students that several of the panelists had unconventional academic and career pathways.

Students were able to participate in a Q&A session with an Inspirational STEM Advocate Panel that included (from left to right on stage): Megan Perry from ABC 10New (panel moderator), Brandon Woolley from TaylorMade Golf Company, and Chequala Fuller from SDG&E, Crystal Garcia from C&S Companies, and Kaitlin Pugliese from Illumina. 

The panel was followed by a Mission of Me career-based session with World of Work’s, Ed Hidalgo. Prior to attending, students completed the SuperStrong assessment to help students determine which of the Holland’s six personality types and career interest themes best matched them: Realistic (R), Investigative (I), Artistic (A), Social (S), Enterprising (E), and Conventional (C). The Myers-Briggs Company sponsored codes so students would be able to access and take the assessment free of charge.

During the Mission of Me workshop, Ed Hidalgo led students through an interactive workshop to help students understand their RIASEC interests and how to translate that to possible careers. He was impressed that the Femineer® and Festival team recruited such great talent for the event. “So many students with Investigative (I), Social (S), and Conventional (C) interests,” Hidalgo tweeted on a post.

Students also had the opportunity to participate in a Networking session with various STEM role models from companies and organizations across San Diego County, including Swinerton Renewable Energy, Pfizer, Alpha Fiber, Progeny, Inc., General Atomics, SANDAG, Carollo, Biosurplus, SDG&E, Amazon, SD Sheriff's Office, ASML, Torrey Pines Law Group, C&S Companies, Illumina, Atlas Civil Design, Mile3 Web Development, MicroConstants, and WESTPAK as well as a handful of SDSU departments including, the College of Sciences, the College of Engineering, Admissions, and Financial Aid.

Throughout STEM Possible, students had the opportunity to think ahead to their future careers while being exposed to a broad array of STEM jobs, many of which do not fall under what is thought of as traditional following the completion of a STEM degree.

If you’re interested in supporting the SDSU Femineer Program, please visit: http://campaign.sdsu.edu/femineerprogram

About the Femineer® Program:

The Femineer® Program was originally created and funded by Cal Poly Pomona’s College of Engineering in 2013 to inspire additional females to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) in their education and career. SDSU’s College of Engineering adopted the Femineer® Program in Fall 2016. The program provides K-12 students with project-based learning, female engineering student mentors, and opportunities to visit a Femineer® affiliate university, while building a sustainable program and community for current and future STEM leaders. For more information on the Femineer Program, please visit https://www.engineering.sdsu.edu/explore/femineer_program or contact the SDSU College of Engineering Femineer Program Director, Michelle Bunn, at [email protected]. The Femineer® Program is open to schools for all students in grades K-12. San Diego State University prohibits discrimination in employment, educational programs, and activities on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, pregnancy, disability, genetic information, status as a U.S. veteran, service in the U.S. military, sexual orientation, gender identity, associational preferences, or any other classification that deprives the person of consideration as an individual. The University also affirms its commitment to providing equal opportunities and equal access to University facilities. For additional information, contact the Division of Diversity and Innovation at 619-594-0523 or [email protected].

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