High school students from North Brunswick were enlightened by a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) empowerment workshop earlier this month.
DeVry University of North Brunswick and the Zeta Phi Beta sorority hosted the event on Nov. 7 in order for female sophomores, juniors and seniors to tour the Route 1 campus.
The highschoolers met Jeimis Torres, who is currently enrolled in the Computer Information Systems degree program at DeVry. The students also participated in hands-on STEM activities and heard about STEM industries and career options from DeVry’s career services professionals. The workshop involved hands-on activities, which included building a “snap circuit.” Working in teams, the students connected various electronic and physical components to a power source to generate electromechanical reactions such as sound, light and movement.
“The young women produced impressive results in a short time; moreover, they enjoyed the activity and gained confidence in their ability to apply technology to realworld problems,” said Chris Grevesen, president of DeVry University Metro.
Students got to hear Torres describe her educational journey. Besides pursuing her degree, Torres is a student worker in the information technology department, so she is gaining hands-on experience in troubleshooting and customer service prior to graduating.
Grevesen said Sharon Suber, president of Zeta Phi Beta, reached out to DeVry to see what type of program it could offer the young ladies of Zeta Phi Beta sorority’s National Youth Curriculum. Grevesen said the university is passionate about empowering young women in STEM careers and offered to host the special program.
“Workshops like these are valuable because they put young women in direct contact with female role models who excel in STEM fields,” he said. “The United States needs more knowledgeable workers in order to remain competitive in a global economy fueled by advanced technology. The current gap between the supply and demand of STEM employees in the U.S. could be closed significantly if more women majored in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.”
For more than 80 years, DeVry has been a recognized leader in technology education, according to Grevesen. The New Jersey campuses have hosted numerous events annually that encourage young people to prepare for STEM careers, including robotics and CISCO networking competitions as well as career events for high school students, led by successful DeVry University alumni.
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