An education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) produces critical thinkers and problem solvers who address the world’s problems every day. Since 2022, Arcadia has welcomed three cohorts of STEM scholars through the National Science Foundation’s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program (S-STEM; grant number DUE-2224093). The first cohort will graduate this spring, marking an exciting milestone for the program.

“We are immensely proud of our scholars for the enthusiasm and energy they bring to the program, and for the encouragement they bring to one another,” said Dr. Sheryl Smith, Professor of Biology and Assistant Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.  Dr. Smith leads Arcadia’s S-STEM program along with Dr. Logan Fields (Psychology), Dr. Emily Marshall (Math & Computer Science), Dr. Tatjana Miletic (Chemistry & Physics), Dr. Christina Swanson (Biology), Dr. Vitaly Ford (Math & Computer Science), Dr. Yanxia Jia (Math & Computer Science), and Dr. Manny Curotto (Chemistry & Physics).

Academically talented scholars accepted into the program, with majors in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computing Technology, Data Science, or Actuarial Science, are awarded scholarship assistance for four years in the program. Recipients participate in monthly workshops with the leadership team to ensure they are striving toward their academic goals and engage in professional development activities to help prepare them for internships, graduate programs, and/or the workforce.

Simona Sellecchia ’27 found the S-STEM Scholarship prior to applying to Arcadia. She knew she wanted to major in Computer Science and began looking for scholarships that could help her achieve that goal. 

“The program not only provides financial help, but also offers workshops, mentoring, career preparation, and the opportunity to connect with STEM faculty on a more personal level,” she said. “As a woman in STEM, I think it’s great seeing more and more of us getting into the field. At times, it can still feel a bit male-dominated, but that just pushes me to work harder.”

The S-STEM Scholars program is helping Alyssa Montanez ’28 prepare for a career as a physician, with a particular interest in orthopedic medicine. Her experiences have reinforced her desire to understand the human body and provide compassionate care to patients.

“The program has helped me grow both academically and personally, and it has strengthened my commitment to pursuing a STEM career,” she said. “I am excited to continue building on these experiences and to give back to the STEM community in the future.”

Arcadia was well represented at the annual S-STEM Scholars Meeting, which took place in early October in San Diego, Calif. Along with Sellecchia and Montanez, Devin Borys ’27, Maddix Lester ’27, and Ruverlynie Rivera Laureano ’28 traveled across the country to take part in various STEM workshops, research question-and-answer sessions, networking events, and more.

“Overall, the meeting was not only educational, but also incredibly motivating,” said Montanez, who is studying Biochemistry and is a member of the Honors Program. “I had the opportunity to network with STEM scholars and faculty, and build connections with students from different universities across the country. It was so inspiring to see the variety of approaches to STEM research, and the creativity that other students bring to their projects.”

The meeting kicked off with an orientation session, followed by a full day of workshops, poster sessions, and a career and education fair. 

“We got to hear from multiple companies about opportunities in different areas of STEM, and be creative, think outside the box,” Laureano, a Chemistry major, said. “My biggest takeaway is to be open to different career opportunities, and not solely focus on the one you really want to do. For example, I really want to go into forensics, but when I got to hear from the speaker for L’Oréal, I was really interested in a different area of chemistry that isn’t forensics.”

The second day featured a networking event and time for the students to explore San Diego on their own. From historical sites to local cuisine, the students also took in as much of the city as possible.

“I visited the San Diego Automotive Museum, sampled amazing foods in an outdoor farmers market in Little Italy, and saw the iconic Unconditional Surrender statue near the USS Midway,” Montanez said. “It was such an incredible experience.”

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Award No. 2130383.