Promoting academic and career success for raleigh future scholars at NC state university

Abstract

The NC State University STEM Scholarship Program, sponsored by the National Science Foundation since September, 2013, is designed to give economically disadvantaged undergraduate students located in the Raleigh area the financial support, mentoring, and career skills necessary to graduate from NC State University. These resources and aid lead students to be more successful in their engineering and/or statistics careers. The program provides a financial aid package equaling 75% of in-state tuition costs each semester. Several career development activities, such as laboratory visits, mock interviews, and industry panels are also offered by this program. It provides networking opportunities with professionals in industry and academia to further develop connections leading to internships, co-ops, or research experiences. Additionally, the program promotes outreach events to encourage STEM as a career path and to mentor youth in the local Raleigh community. The goal is to give scholars the tools and confidence needed to succeed after graduating from NC State University. Surveys are conducted before and after each semester, in order to collect data on each student's academic progress and involvement in both academic activities and community service. At the start and end of every semester, the students' long-term and short-term career goals are also updated. From the Fall 2016 to Spring 2017 academic years, 75% of scholars received higher than a 3.35 grade point average. All scholars are actively involved in extracurricular activities on campus. Eleven out of twenty scholars have participated in community service, such as the Society of Women in Engineering's event, "Be that Engineer" helping to inspire young females to consider engineering as a career path. Sixty percent of scholars have participated in academic and/or professional development events including research seminars, the NC State Engineering Career Fair, tech talks, and involvement in academic student organizations. Thirteen out of twenty scholars have participated in at least one internship, co-op, or research position within the academic year. The cumulative involvement in events highlights the effectiveness of the program in connecting scholars with high impact activities.