STEM Speaker Series Connects Students with Alumni & Professionals

Every year, the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Center at Cañada College hosts the STEM Speaker Series, a series of talks from professionals and alumni in the STEM fields. This year, the Speaker Series took place over the course of two months, featuring a total of seven speakers. These speakers generously volunteered their time to help advise and guide students on their academic journeys. 

Having successfully established an online format in the 2020-2021 school year while the College transitioned into a virtual campus, students joined via online video streaming to listen and learn from a variety of speakers. Although the talks were generally focused on transferring to university and starting a career in STEM, each speaker brought a distinct voice and story to the series. They ranged from the recently graduated to long-standing professionals, and covered a variety of subjects ranging from data analysis to education. 

One of the greatest benefits of the Speaker Series is the opportunity that students have to ask questions and connect with professionals working in their fields of interest. Rance Bobo, STEM Transfer Liaison and the STEM Speaker Series host, sees this as one of the critical functions of the talks. “For me, it’s always the way students word their questions and how specific the questions are.” Rance sees this engagement as proof of the success of the Series. “This is an indication that the students are paying attention, have been inspired or hold an interest in the matter.” 

The speakers that students got to learn from in this Series were eclectic and fascinating, and each brought valuable knowledge to Cañada students. There was Dr. Ameer Thompson, who serves as the Dean of Science and Technology at Cañada College and previously served as the Interim Dean of Natural, Social, and Applied Sciences at Contra Costa College. His impressive career is underpinned by years of persistence in education from which our students got to pull from. Another speaker was Yardley Ordonez-Hernandez, a Cañada alum who currently works as an Automation Engineer, and whose story reflects the journey of so many of our Latino students. In Yardley, students got to see what a potential future trajectory for a successful career could look like for themselves, an invaluable exercise in visualizing their own futures. 

The STEM Speaker Series will return in the Spring 2022 semester. If students are undecided on a STEM career choice, they are encouraged to attend the STEM Speaker Series events and listen to former Cañada alumni who are now professionals. View past recorded Speaker Series here. The presenter’s insight and real-world experiences can and will bring much-needed enlightenment to all Cañadians! 

STEM Speaker Series Re imagined to Offer Students Virtual Experiences

 

The STEM Center at Cañada College was created to cultivate the study of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math to support students pursuing a career in this competitive field. The STEM Center offers extensive programs, services, and academic support for all students taking STEM-related courses. The STEM Speaker Series, hosted by STEM Programs Relationship Coordinator, Rance Bobo, has been a staple event at Cañada and has recently undergone a transition from in-person to virtual. 

Although managing online formatting during the pandemic has been a learning experience for all Cañada students and staff members, surprisingly many STEM Speaker attendees feel the event has become more intimate and interesting. Rance says, “I decided to make this event more interpersonal through a late-night tv show interview format instead of the traditional presentation format. Because students are sitting/watching lectures all day, I wanted to ensure the STEM Speaker Series felt unique and more interactive.”

The student’s response to this new format has been nothing short of positive! A stellar feature of this new format that students enjoy has been the webinar question and answer section where STEM Speaker Series host Rance asks the viewers to send in questions to be answered live. The webinar format allows the students to participate while simultaneously assuring the audience does not interrupt or ask inappropriate questions that have not been screened. Cañada College student Francisco Espinoza says, “The new STEM Speaker Series format has made me feel more comfortable interacting with such renowned speakers. The tv show interview format has made me feel more engaged with the speaker and excited to virtually ask questions at the end of their presentation.”

Rance describes successful STEM Speaker moments as the way in which the students word their questions and the specificity of them. Rance shares, “To me, this is an indication that the students are paying attention, have been inspired, or have an interest in the topic.” Other interesting STEM Speaker moments that stuck with Rance include a motivated presenter who worked as a tow truck driver while attending school, a selfless presenter who works directly tracking COVID-19 cases in San Mateo County, and a passionate presenter who spoke profoundly of Cañada, the STEM Center, and getting more involved on campus.

 

If students are undecided on a STEM career choice they should attend the STEM Speaker Series events and listen to former Cañada alumni who are now professionals. The presenter’s insight and real-world experiences can and will bring much-needed enlightenment to all Cañadians! To view the upcoming Spring speaker events, register, and find more information go to www.bit.ly/stemcanvas.