NEWSLETTER | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2013

"If you want to go fast, go alone.
If you want to go further, go together."
-- African Proverb
STEM Advantage - WHAT'S HAPPENING!    

STEM Advantage Scholars - Beginning Our Second Year!

 

After a successful inaugural year, in September we met with and invited students at California State University Dominguez Hills to apply for our second year.  Dr. Beheshti, Chair of Computer Science, and the faculty are reviewing and vetting applications. In November, we will facilitate interviews for paid internships to begin in Summer 2014. Then we will announce the next group of STEM Advantage Scholars in late November/December. We welcome individuals and organizations who want to help us fulfill our mission by providing paid internships, mentorships, and/or support for STEM Advantage scholarships. Working together, we can make a difference!

 


WE'RE CAPTURING OUR SUCCESS...ON VIDEO.

We saw our many months of hard work come to life during a recent video shoot for STEM Advantage. During interviews with a few of our scholars and CIO's at the internship companies we saw the impact that STEM Advantage is making in our community. We are very excited to reveal this first promotional video at our upcoming fundraising event. Zachary Weil of 2 of Us Productions was kind enough to donate his time to help us capture the heart of our cause. A huge thank you to Zack for donating his time to helping us make this happen. 


YOU'RE INVITED
November 19, 2013
6:00-9:00pm
The Depot in Torrance, CA

You're cordially invited to join us for cocktails & networking at The Depot Restaurant in Torrance to fund STEM Advantage Scholarships. We'll share with you the latest news from STEM Advantage,
our goals for the new school year and updates on our twelve STEM Advantage Scholars. 

Guest speaker:  Zack Hicks, Group Vice President & 
Chief Information Officer, North America, Toyota
 


Paid Internships

Internships are a win-win. They provide students both real-world experiences and an opportunity to develop their technical and soft skills, such as communication, collaboration and problem solving. Internships provide businesses a pipeline for diverse entry-level technical talent. 

If you would like to provide an internship beginning Summer 2014, please contact STEM Advantage Internship Co-Chair Rashmi Kumar.

"At DIRECTV I have been given the opportunity to begin applying the knowledge I have gained at Dominguez Hills through the Toro Cyber Defense Lab. Although I have been given challenging assignments that I initially believe to be out of my scope, my team members are always willing to jump in and help. I have found my mentor and the other people on my team to be both positive and supportive role models. In short, my experience thus far at DIRECTV has simply been awesome. I realize that I still have a lot to learn, and I find the organization and the people at DIRECTV to be fun, sincere and supportive cohorts; I am very thankful and appreciative of this opportunity."

-- Amber C., STEM Advantage Scholar, Computer Technology/Homeland Security Major (pictured above)

Rosalie T.and mentor Lynda Murray-Thomas
Update on Mentorships

Mentoring makes a difference. Young people thrive when they know someone cares about their future and they receive guidance about educational and career options.

Thank you to the mentors who have provided guidance and support to STEM Advantage Scholars during our inaugural year:

Marcela Bailey - Michael Cramer - Jessica DeVita - Cheryl Forbes - Ron Guerrier - David Ting - Rashmi Kumar - Van Le - Jennifer Johnson - Sheila Lugenbuehl - Kevin McKenzie - Linda Murray-Thomas - Tangela Tolliver - Alnita Tramell

In addition, Sami Salam, Director, KPMG, began offering monthly mentoring sessions at Cal State Dominguez Hills to reach more students pursuing STEM degrees. These sessions are open to all students and help us have a broader impact. 

If you would like to be a mentor this next year (beginning January 2014), please contact Michelle Elkins at michelle@stemadvantage.org. 

STEM Advantage Scholars  

 
We have been profiling 12 STEM Advantage Scholars in our newsletters. This month, meet Joyce and David.

Name: Joyce R.
Year:   Senior

Major: Computer Technology/Homeland Security

Goal:   To achieve an upper management position in a large corporation that specializes in software development with a concentration in information security.


"It is such an honor to be selected as a STEM Advantage Scholar. Your generous financial support puts me so much closer to my goals. 

 

I truly appreciate everything you all have done for the program and believing in me. As part of this pilot program I intend to set a great example for future recipients. And hope to one day be an active player in keeping the STEM Advantage program going strong."

 

Name: David O.
Year:   Senior

Major: Computer Technology/Homeland Security

Goal:  To contribute to the greater good of our nation's security by working at a government agency. 


"The skills we are learning and the knowledge gained cannot be substituted in a classroom. I would like to give a big thanks to the TFS (Toyota Financial Services) Information Security and Network Security teams for their guidance and support. This internship has been invaluable as I am slowing closing the gap for my graduation and preparing for my career."

Give Now

 

If you or someone you know would like to invest in STEM Advantage Scholars, please click here. 100% of your donation goes directly to fund scholarships. We have no overheard or administrative costs. We also appreciate matching gifts. If your company matches your donation, be sure to let us know.

 

DONATE TODAY! 

 
About STEM Advantage

Students with blue sky 

STEM Advantage was created in September 2012, to mentor, prepare and inspire young women and underserved communities, to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). 

 

Our program seeks to give diverse young scholars an advantage through paid internships, one-on-one mentoring, and scholarships for tuition, fees and books. STEM Advantage is a 501(c)(3) public charity.

 

To learn more, please visit www.stemadvantage.org or send an email to Lee Ann Kline at leeann@stemadvantage.org

To learn more about STEM Advantage and how you can get involved, please visit our website:
www.stemadvantage.org