“Uncover[ing] the Precious Potential in Every Child”: The Effects of A STEM Pre-College Program on Former Participants’ Academic and Career Trajectory

• In Event: Division D Graduate Student in Progress Research Gala

Abstract

Little is known about how STEM pre-college programs’ former participants later make sense of their program experiences. These STEM experiences influence former participants’ academic, career, and life trajectories even if participants do not continue in STEM-related studies or careers. Preliminary results reveal that former participants shared how their program experience provided a head start to their collegiate experience, allowed them to live multiple lives due to early-STEM exposure, and influenced their values for mentoring and supporting others. These findings provide various stakeholders with relevant information to consider when designing and implementing STEM experiences tailored to engaging historically underrepresented students in STEM fields.

Author

• Amari Tevell Simpson, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign