mechanical engineering<\/a> graduate student on track to become a double Knight. \u201cWe realized that \u2026 if we had some prior knowledge or someone to talk to us about STEM before we got to this level, or before we tried to enter STEM, we could have avoided those pitfalls.\u201d<\/p>\nThat realization helped turn his personal ambitions into action that benefits others.<\/p>\n
In 2024, Royal, Huerta and Washington co-founded STEM Mentorship Matters, an outreach program that connects students at their high school, Q. I. Roberts Junior-Senior High School, with professionals in STEM fields and equips them with the knowledge to successfully pursue their careers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe \u2026 didn’t have that many opportunities or much education related to STEM when we were in high school,\u201d Royal says. \u201cThat made it a lot more difficult compared to our peers who did. So we thought, \u2018Is there any way to give something to students who were like us, who could use opportunities in STEM?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Giving Students a Head Start<\/h3>\n What began as a grassroots effort serving just 30 students at Q. I. Roberts has since grown into a network of 10 high schools across Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, reaching hundreds of junior and senior high school students. The organization now includes 30 volunteer mentors who lead monthly workshops that connect professionals with students.<\/p>\n
STEM Mentorship Matters also offers a range of resources, including guidance on applying to universities through the Common App, explanations of different engineering disciplines and advice on getting involved on campus. Monthly discussions focus on preparing for careers in STEM, with topics shaped by student interest and shared through the organization\u2019s Discord server.<\/p>\n
From navigating the college application process and building strong resumes to learning how to network and apply for internships, volunteer mentors guide students to success in the classroom and beyond graduation.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt helps students think, \u2018What would I want to do beyond middle and high school? Am I even interested in STEM?\u2019\u201d Royal says. \u201c[And] it’s OK if they’re not. We’re just trying to provide them with some insight. It also provides some insight into what they may want to do in STEM if they are interested.\u201d<\/p>\n
Royal adds that these interactions help students narrow their interests, explore future career possibilities and feel more confident entering their chosen field. Just as important, it gives them something Royal says he and his co-founders lacked early on: encouragement.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust someone saying, \u2018You can do this if you set your mind to it,\u2019 is very important because we didn’t have a lot of that pursuing STEM,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd I feel it’s important to have because it makes it easier to accomplish whatever you set out to do.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Through STEM Mentorship Matters, Marcus Royal \u201924<\/strong> is helping ensure the next generation of STEM students enters college better prepared and informed \u2014 without facing the same obstacles he once did.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":242,"featured_media":150580,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"lazy_load_responsive_images_disabled":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[15992,6],"tags":[1566,3047,4430,202],"tu_author":[],"class_list":["post-150579","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-community","tag-engineering","tag-mechanical-engineering","tag-stem","tag-alumni"],"yoast_head":"\nMechanical Engineering Grad Student Launches Mentoring Organization | 海角直播 News<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n