MESA/STEM Center Newsletter

The 2021 National Diversity in STEM Digital Conference was held on October 25-29, 2021!

The SACNAS NDISTEM conference is the largest multidisciplinary and multicultural STEM diversity event in the country, 2021 SACNAS is a 5-day digital conference which serves to equip, empower, and energize participants for their academic and professional paths in STEM. Over the course of the five days, college-level through professional attendees are immersed in cutting-edge scientific research and professional development sessions, motivational keynote speakers, multicultural celebrations, and an inclusive and welcoming community of peers, mentors, and role models. Three MESA/STEM Center students and two staff members attended the virtual conference.

Dominic Bernabe, Electrical Engineering major student (Pictured above)

Luz Robles, Sustainable Environmental Design major student (Pictured above)

"Three things that benefited me the most from this conference were the networking conversations with more experienced professionals, the meeting that covered the importance of mentorship, and attending the research seminars such as the astrophysics or cancer research seminars because they inspired me and taught me a little more about how to professionally conduct and present research." Dominic A. Bernabe

"SACNAS is an incredibly inclusive community dedicated to not just helping chicanx and indigenous students in STEM but uplifting all voices and embracing diversity. I learned in SACNAS that we are truly stronger together. The best way to “build my brand” as a STEM leader and put myself out there is to embrace my authentic self and put my best foot forward. I can embrace all parts of my identity- being first generation, a woman, and Mexican- and still succeed as a scientist. The workforce will appreciate someone who is dedicated to improving themselves and learning. SACNAS showed me that humility gets you much farther in life than pride." Luz Robles

"It was a really inspiring experience for me overall, to meet with people who are where I want to be in terms of my career and to hear all the things they have to say about what they do.

I attended one of the meetings that talked about graduate school and the things I should do before applying as well as what to expect when applying for and attending graduate school.

SACNAS taught me about the countless internship opportunities in the field I'm going into and really showed me how to connect with other people in the same field as me."

Cruz Segura

The MESA Student Leadership Conference was held on November 5-6, 2021 in San Jose, CA at the Hayes Mansion. Two MESA/STEM Center students and 1 staff member attended the event. (Jorge Alejandre, Luz Robles, Rene Rubio pictured below)

The Student Leadership Conference (SLC) brings together engineering, computer science and other STEM undergraduate students with industry professionals to develop the next generation of diverse leaders. These MESA leaders are the new face of STEM. The conference is an opportunity for STEM students to develop “soft skills” necessary to successfully transition from college to professional careers.

"The MESA/STEM Center has some of the brightest and hard-working students with very busy schedules. Luz Robles, sustainable environmental design major and Jorge A. Alejandre-Martinez, computer science major were very engaged in the MESA Student Leadership Conference that took place in-person on November 5-6th in San Jose. Professionals in industry offered students workshops in leadership development and cooperative projects during the event. It was a pleasure to have both Luz and Jorge represent our NVC MESA Program at this statewide MESA Conference." Rene Rubio, MESA/STEM Center Student Affairs Specialist

"My first thought when I was attending the San Jose conference was that I was nervous and didn't know what to expect. When I arrived hardly talked to my teammates when I first met them. Not just me, but everyone was in their comfort zone. Over time we started getting confidence in each other and started to meet everyone and hearing their story... looking back I don't regret going because not only did I network with people, but I gained a new family as well. I will remember my teammates, our time together and our team work. I'm glad I went it's something that will motivate me as a student and a professional in the future."

Jorge A. Alejandre-Martinez

"This conference taught me collaboration & communication skills that are extremely valuable to me, especially while inching towards a post-pandemic life. When working on a group project, I learned how to collaborate efficiently with the designation of roles, active listening, compromise and the facilitation of ideas to keep the project cohesive. This conference didn't just teach me to have confidence in myself, but also in my STEM community! After attending this event, I knew that our generation was on its way to change the world." Luz Robles

Elizabeth is a proud first-generation, Napa Valley College alumna. She attended NVC from 2000-2003. While at NVC, she participated in EOPS, SSS, MESA, Phi Theta Kappa, and several student clubs. She transferred to UC Davis where she earned a BA in Sociology. Currently, she serves on the MESA/STEM Center Advisory Board at Napa Valley College.

Elizabeth is a Professor of Counseling at Napa Valley College where she has worked for over 10 years. She has broad counseling and coordinating experience and has served as Interim Career Center Counselor/Coordinator at Napa Valley College; CalWorks Counselor/Coordinator at Woodland Community College; and was the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Counselor at NVC prior to receiving faculty tenure as General Counselor. Currently, she is the Transfer Center Coordinator, and she serves as SACNAS (Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science) club co-advisor.

Why did you decide to join the MESA/STEM Center Advisory Board?

"I decided to join the advisory board because as an alumna of the MESA Program, and I am grateful for all the opportunities and resources it provided me with. It is so exciting to continue to be involved in this program, and most importantly, to be able to contribute and support current students!" Elizabeth Lara

STEM Summer Bridge 2021students and alumni mixer pictured above

Interested in a STEM Career? Join the 2022 Summer Bridge Program at Napa Valley College that will take place July 18-July 28, 2022 on Monday-Thursday's between 9am-3pm except for the Awards Ceremony and the Parent/Guardian & Student Orientation that are both scheduled from 6pm-8pm on the respective days.

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.

Click the link below to apply or share with someone you know may be interested:

https://www.napavalley.edu/studentaffairs/MESA/Pages/STEM-Summer-Bridge-.aspx

Kaiser Permanente and NVC Partnership was featured at the 35th Annual HACU Annual Conference - “35 Years of Championing Hispanic Higher Education Success” on October 25, 2021. The presentation abstract read: Kaiser Permanente Northern California and Napa Valley Community College are “Educating Tomorrow’s Health Care Professionals.” The purpose of this unique partnership is to develop a pre-health pipeline to grow the number of underrepresented physicians in the community by providing students in the Medical Scholars Pathway with enhanced learning opportunities emphasizing community involvement, mentorship, research, and self-efficacy. Recent literature shows that community colleges have untapped potential in increasing diversity at medical schools.” As our nation becomes more diverse, family medicine educators must learn how to support efforts to diversify our physician workforce. Community college (CC) students are faced with different challenges compared to those that attend a 4-year university. Specifically, they lack opportunities to participate in research or clinical projects. Family Medicine residency programs are well positioned to offer CC students opportunities to serve their communities and obtain the necessary clinical opportunities to be well-rounded medical school applicants. The Kaiser Permanente Medical Scholars Pathway (MSP) does this through a three-year program in partnership with Napa Valley Community College.

The presenters were: Rene Rubio, MESA/STEM Program Services Specialist, MSP Lead; Ruben Gonzalez, MD, MSP Director, Kaiser Permanente Napa-Solano Family Residence Program; Patricia Posada, MESA/STEM Program Services Counselor and Instructor

The 45-minute presentation highlighted the 6-year partnership and its progress throughout the years. The presentation included a pre-recorded presentation and 15 minutes of live Q&A.

Currently, the MESA/STEM Center Program and KP are working on developing a Regional Hub of Health Care Opportunity (RHHO) to apply for a competitive grant administered by the California Medicine Scholars Program (CMSP), held under the Foundation for California Community Colleges. The appropriation of funds by the Legislature, is to establish and facilitate the CMSP, as a five-year pilot program, commencing January 1, 2023 for the purpose of establishing a regional pipeline program for community college students to pursue premedical training and enter medical school, in an effort to address the shortage of primary care physicians in California and the widening disparities in access to care in vulnerable and underserved communities. NVC is positioning for an opportunity to be the Northern California hub. Rene Rubio, MESA/STEM Center Student Affairs Specialist & Patricia Posada, STEM Counselor & Instructor, Ruben Gonzalez, MD Core Faculty

Here’s the video that was submitted to the Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities (HACU) conference for your reference:

MESA/STEM Center tutoring services are available via zoom click here to view our webpage and stay tuned for the Spring 2022 schedule. Tutoring services are available to all students.

The last day of STEM tutoring for the fall semester is December 10th and will commence in the spring of 2022 on January 24th.

If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to us at mesa.stemcenter@napavalley.edu or call us at 707-256-7282.