In March we will profile the students who apply. We think you'll be as inspired as we are!

Why we are seeking students who will be juniors and seniors in the Fall Semester 2013 to apply for the pilot program?  

1) Fewer than 50% of students who enter college intending to major in a STEM field complete a STEM degree. The majority switch to non-STEM majors during their first two years.  

2) Projections suggest that STEM-related employment opportunities will grow nearly 17% over the next decade, and that more than 60% of those jobs will require a college degree or higher.

We hope to create a compelling program to inspire high achieving, diverse students with an aptitude for science, technology, engineering and/or math to earn a degree, go after their dreams and realize their potential.

We are frequently asked why we selected California State University Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) for our pilot program. When we consider our mission, it is hard to imagine a better university partner. A few reasons why:

• Women, African Americans and Latinos today comprise only 20% of the STEM workforce, yet are projected to make-up 70% of the total workforce by 2017
• Undergraduate enrollment at CSUDH is 54.7% Hispanic/Latino, 19.5% Black/African American, and 70% Women  (Fall 2012)
• Developing under-represented students' skills and knowledge in critical STEM areas is a priority defined in the University's Strategic Plan
• Our goals and the University's goals are aligned as we both believe internships and mentors help students succeed, and help increase retention and graduation rates. Scholarships enable students to earn their degree faster with less student loan debt
• 75% of CSUDH alumni live within 25 miles of the university. We are developing students'  skills and knowledge, which will help the economic vitality of our region and California

We are keeping the pilot small so that we can work closely with the students, internship companies, mentors and university to continually learn and make adjustments as needed to ensure a win-win for all involved. Then we will expand to more students, universities and STEM-related majors in California and beyond.  

As part of the Mentoring Program, we will hold quarterly IT career and personal development sessions for students in the pilot program and open to all students in the Computer Science Department at Cal State Dominguez Hills. We appreciate Fox Group sharing content from their Summer Internship program to jump start our workshops.  

In late April (and prior to Finals) we will hold a session on "Workplace Etiquette" to help students prepare for their internships.

In addition, we would like to thank Carole Schlocker of iSpace and a STEM Advantage Board member, who offered to conduct a workshop on interviewing skills for students prior to their interviews with the companies providing internships for the pilot. We will offer this workshop again next year and open it up to more students, as we think interviewing and listening are great skills to have.  

We are very excited to begin our pilot with full-time undergraduate students majoring in a program in the Computer Science Department at Cal State Dominguez Hills. Students must be on track to be a junior or senior in the Fall 2013 semester to apply. 

Here's our general 2013 timeline:

• February - discuss program with students 
• First week in March - applications due 
• March - review applications, conduct Interviewing Skills workshop, conduct interviews and select students
• Early April - announce students selected for the pilot
• April - pair mentors and mentees and hold kick-off dinner
• Late April - conduct Personal Development Workshop on Workplace Etiquette 
• June - begin internships
• September - receive full scholarship for one year, renewable based on maintaining requirements to stay in program