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From Pheather Harris, EdD, CAMP Director The California Alliance for Minority Participation (CAMP) program hosted their inaugural Alumni Roundtables event on Friday, April 5th, from 5:00PM-7:30PM at the UCI Student Center. The event was designed to provide a space for alumni to have meaningful conversations with students about how they may successfully navigate their academic and professional experiences. The structure of the program provided an opportunity for alumni to give back, and share advice about how underrepresented students in STEM might position themselves for success.  Participating students were advised to bring their resumes or curricula vitae to help outline their work, and to hear from alumni about how they might consider moving forward. The documents enhanced conversations with alumni, and were used to identify whether represented companies might have opportunities for internships, research, or employment. Students heard inspirational remarks from Vice Provost for Academic Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Dr. Douglas Haynes. His talk focused on how students are embedded in an academic ecosystem that is focused on their academic and professional success, and discussed how CAMP is a hub of resources. Following, Dr. Jose Romero-Mariona, Computer Scientist at Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR), gave a powerful message about his journey as a scientist, the importance of CAMP engagement, and the utility of persistence. Student then spoke with alumni to learn about their journeys, and how they overcame obstacles to achieve their academic and professional goals. There were seven roundtables, each with at least two alumni, ten students in the same area of study, and conversation starters to help facilitate meaningful discussions.
CAMP student attendees spanned across the following majors:
The event was a success and laid a solid foundation for future programming focused on CAMP alumni/student engagement. A special thank you to the Center for Educational Partnerships, and the School of Education, for their continued support.  Comments are closed.
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