DU-WHS STEM Mentoring Collaboration

The University of Denver's collaboration with Westminster Public Highschool's biomedical sciences capstone course has been an integral part of the student curriculum in preparation for their futures in a STEM career and guidance on the college experience. The collaboration's goal is to provide knowledge and guidance to a previously underserved community to help prepare students for the transition from high school to college. The Westminster High School student population consists of 78% Hispanic, 13% Caucasian, 5% Asian, 1% American Indian, 1% black, and 2% of students are of two or more races. The minority enrollment is 87% of the student body which is higher than the Colorado state average of 48%. DU provides near-peer college mentors to Westminster High Schools Biomedical Sciences capstone course under the instruction of the teacher Scott Troy. Westminster High School provides access to students who wish to pursue a STEM path in college allowing for DU’s mentors to make an impact in the community. The mentors serve as a guide and role models for the transition from high school to college and for navigating a STEM degree path. I am entering my second year as a DU near peer STEM mentor. The first two quarters of my first year with the program I served as a general student mentor. The third quarter I took on a student leader role. Now as I enter my second year with the program, I’ve taken on a greater leadership role and am the teaching assistant. I’ve mentored two groups of graduating high school seniors from Westminster. In the 2021-2022 academic year I mentored initially 8 mentees and then 12. This year I am mentoring around 6 mentees as we have more mentors available. Responsibilities of my leadership role have included answering emails and communicating information about the program to new mentors and recruiting. Additional responsibilities include poster making, overseeing the weekly newsletter, analyzing exit tickets, worksheet creation, and program restructuring.

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There exist disparities for underrepresented populations in STEM retention, graduation rates, and employment. This calls for increased support for these students to navigate the challenges of the college and STEM world. Particularly, near-peer mentoring-based approaches are being implemented to bridge this gap. Students from underrepresented populations in higher education and STEM require more support and resources than their counterparts. Therefore, the DU-Westminster STEM Mentoring Collaboration is meant to create access in this way so that Westminster students have an equitable foundation in their future STEM endeavors. Many high school students from underrepresented backgrounds in STEM face challenging circumstances, such as a lack of a positive role model, or financial and societal barriers. Therefore, mentors can help build STEM competencies and self-confidence of mentees in the STEM realm. Additionally, mentors act as positive role models and introduce students to navigate the various challenges that come with pursuing a STEM degree. Mentoring can make a substantial difference in experiencing a positive STEM outcome.

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