STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) is the future of the US. However, the current skill gap in STEM is a gloomy reality. Did you know, there are AT LEAST two jobs for every qualified STEM applicant?
Instead of finding STEM skillset abroad, we need to train the rising number of Latino youth currently residing in the US. However, not many Latino youth willingly choose STEM which is why we do not see a lot of them in this field. According to a 2022 Pew Research Center report, 57% of Latinos claim that they do not pursue STEM due to lack of proper mentorship. Apart from this, the ones who do pursue it, have to face racial disparity.
The silver lining is that many US organizations are dedicated to making equal space for Latinos in STEM. If you are a Latino and want to pursue STEM, you can get help from the following organizations and resources:
- Científico Latino
It is an organization that aims to increase minority representation in STEM, regardless of their race, nationality, immigration status, disability, and sexual orientation. It gives out fellowship, open-access resources, and scholarship opportunities to them for a chance to become successful in STEM.
On top of that, they also have various initiatives for students from high school, undergrad, post-graduate, and even PhD. Through these initiatives, you get access to professional development seminars, public databases of critical resources, application preparation, and constant mentorship. All of this contributes towards making minorities like Hispanics feel like they can make it big in STEM.
- Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)
This is an organization dedicated to creating diversity in STEM through culture and identity. SACNAS works to promote individuals from Hispanic and Native American communities in STEM fields. With SACNAS, you can find a community of professionals and students in STEM. You can even connect to career resources to materialize your place in STEM.
Furthermore, SACNAS believes that diverse perspectives from different backgrounds can bring innovative solutions to STEM. This is why this organization connects you to different resources to help you excel as a student, post-grad, or a professional. You can take part in the SACNA chapters to find your community and get help to succeed in STEM.
- National Society of Hispanic Physicists (NSHP)
This organization is especially for aspiring physicists. The National Society of Hispanic Physicists aims to create equal opportunity for Hispanic physicists or aspiring ones.
The Hispanic physicists are largely underrepresented all around the globe, so the NSHP has been trying to bridge this gap since 1996. If you are someone in Physics, you can benefit a lot from NSHP.
On top that, NSHP works along four aspects i.e.
- Promoting Physics among young students
- Celebrating the accomplishments of Hispanic physicists
- Creating a community for likeminded Hispanic individuals to come together
- Making the larger physics community into a more inclusive one.
You can join NSHP through their website. Just make sure you have a stable internet connection so that you can access the resources provided by them. In case you don’t have one, we suggest dialing Optimum en español to get hooked with a reliable as well as affordable internet. A steady, dependable internet connection is crucial for making it big in STEM.
- Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley
The Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley is dedicated to empowering the youth of Silicon Valley. It holds an annual gala, which solely focuses on the problems faced by the Hispanic community. This includes raising funds and awareness among the Latino community to promote education and Latino leadership.
If you live in Silicon Valley, you can take help from their Latinos in Tech and College Success initiatives. Latinos in Tech funds the third and fourth year of STEM undergrad students and improves their professional development by getting them internships. Moreover, their College Success programs ensures high-school graduation and college readiness to increase the Latino workforce in tech industry.
- HSI STEM Hub
The organization’s mission is to help HSIs (Hispanic Serving Institutions) improve their efforts in getting Hispanics to join STEM. It is funded by the National Science Organization. Their efforts include enabling STEM teaching staff with better resources and improving research capacities to increase the Hispanic student success rates in STEM.
They also provides grants to faculty and staff in specific institutions. The aim is to improve their capacity at becoming better role models for Hispanic students in STEM. This ultimately improve retention and graduation rates of undergrad Hispanic STEM students.
On top of that, HSI STEM Hub aims to create a culture for Hispanic students that enables them to succeed in STEM.
Bonus Tips for Latinos to Making it Big in STEM
If you are a Latino determined to make in in STEM, the above-mentioned organizations are a life saver. However, apart from taking their help, here are some other tips that can help you establish a stable footing in STEM:
- Find a STEM mentor and shadow them. This is will give great insights into the daily life of STEM professionals and can be great learning opportunity.
- If you do not know where to find a mentor, you can ask your high-school counselor. They might know one.
- Make Math and Science your best buds in high-school and sign up for advanced Math and advanced Science courses.
- Start planning on how you are going to fund for your college way before. This requires you to thoroughly research all the grants, funds, and scholarship.
- Become a pro at networking to seek guidance as your grow in STEM.
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