Hancock Selected to Present at California STEM Symposium in Anaheim
College representatives to discuss the participation of women, girls and underrepresented groups in STEM fields at convention
SEPTEMBER 16, 2016--As thousands of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics)
educators and advocates flock to the California STEM Symposium this year in Anaheim,
Allan Hancock College will be among those that present and provide inspiration. The
college received a $4.3 million HSI STEM and Articulation Grant in 2011, one of 97
awarded to federally designated Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI).
“I’m really excited for people to get to know Allan Hancock College and see the great job we have done with our HSI STEM grant,” said Siboney Guardado, interim director of STEM at Allan Hancock College. “While they won’t see the whole picture of our STEM program from our presentations, they will get to see the way Hancock is out there engaging in the community.”
The symposium, which takes place October 9-11, aims to provide strategies and resources to help educators and administrators develop programs at their own institutions. The goal is to prepare students for work in today’s technological and innovative fields. This year, the symposium will have a special focus on increasing and supporting the participation of women, girls and underrepresented groups in STEM fields – a subject that is right up Guardado and her team’s alley.
Hancock has been extensively involved in efforts to reach out to young Latino girls and their parents. In March, the college’s STEM program, along with the Migrant Education Program, hosted a conference at the college to excite young Latino girls about opportunities that an education in STEM disciplines can afford and to also make their families aware of the opportunities that are possible.
“I love knowing that I’m a bridge for our Latino community to connect to the college,” said Guardado. “Many of the young girls we have been reaching out to in the Latino community have parents who work in agriculture. We are showing these girls and their parents the science side of agriculture to spark an interest in higher education.”
“In the Latino culture, a big key to success is connecting with the parents,” she added. “The earlier we can do this, the better.”
Guardado’s team that will be representing Hancock at the symposium includes three other women: Nancy Gonzalez-Vazquez, STEM program assistant and part-time AHC student; Erendira Ubias, STEM assistant and Allan Hancock College student and Berizohar Padilla, Hancock STEM Assistant and graduate student at Cal Poly.
Guardado and her team will use Hancock’s outreach as a successful example of promoting higher education in STEM-related fields. Many of those present at the conference will be teachers and administrators who are not in STEM field but hope to glean ideas to take back to their high schools, middle schools and colleges.
The team will be involved in two presentations. The first will be a moderated panel to discuss the environment for women in STEM today and successful programs in California. The second will be a roundtable discussion that explores how to engage girls in STEM fields and how to get teachers and parents to discuss STEM careers with girls.
“One of my favorite terms is ‘STEMpossible.’ We can take any major and show people how STEM is involved and that’s what we are going to share,” said Guardado. “STEMpossible can open so many doors of opportunity when people realize the STEM opportunities that are everywhere, even in the simplest things!”
More information on the California STEM Symposium can be found online at www.STEMCalifornia.org. More information on Allan Hancock College’s STEM program and HSI STEM Grant can be found at www.hancockcollege.edu/stem[BROKEN LINK].
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Caption: Allan Hancock College will demonstrate ways to support the participation of women, girls and underrepresented groups in STEM fields at the STEM Symposium in Anaheim in October.
