Moving Forward to an Inclusive Future in STEM

By Christina Arias and Anthony Mendoza

Chico State is nestled in the middle of the Northern California Central Valley. The modest city in which it resides buzzes with energy from college students at the start of each academic year and stays that way until summer break comes around. There’s a calm in the air during those summer months because it is those very students that give life to the City of Chico, helping it thrive. Although Chico may be small with a predominately white demographic, Chico State is getting recognized for its diverse population that continues to grow as the years go on.

While the city itself lacks diversity, the University campus demographics show that things are changing. Chico State’s Latinx student population has increased every year since 2015 when it reached a 25 percent population benchmark, which has made Chico State qualify for a federal Hispanic Serving Institute (HSI) standing. This HSI recognition has not only created a more diverse campus and town, but it has also given minority student populations opportunities they may not have seen before. That number has since increased by about 10 percent, which made the Latinx population the fastest-growing sector at Chico State. Being HSI recognized means that Chico State can receive grants that are focused on Latinx students but also support and benefit all of its students.

These grants help create programs for undergraduate students, such as the Chico Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) Connections Collaborative and, more recently, graduate programs like Adelante, which provides support and encouragement for undergraduate students pursuing a graduate degree. Paul Villegas, the Chico STEM Connections Collaborative program director, has been a part of the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement program at Chico State for a long time and said receiving grants have helped expand STEM opportunities on a larger scale. Such opportunities include undergraduate research through the Chico STEM Connections Collaborative program, which serves 65 students each summer. These students get hands-on experience for professional development while receiving a stipend for their work.

“This has given the opportunity for sophomores to get research experience with professors,” Villegas said.

Many of these programs came into fruition within the past four years, after Chico State achieved HSI status. Ben Van Dusen, an assistant professor for the Department of Science Education, took on the role of researching the educational programs implemented and determine the success rate of students in order to better serve our community.

“I’m looking across gender, race, and first-gen students to see who are reaping the rewards of this new course transformation,” Van Dusen said of analyzing students’ behaviors, beliefs, and misconceptions based on their learning environment. “If our classes aren’t developing, especially for those marginalized populations, we’ll filter them out and [they] will continue to not be represented in those spaces,” he said.

In addition, some of these professors serve as mentors and provide guidance to their students. The Chico STEM Connections Collaborative’s natural sciences coordinator, Lorena Navarro, has proven that student-professor relationships are essential to ensure students stay on track and motivated.

“Once they get to Chico State, we provide them with the services needed to be successful in their majors—not just academically but to establish a sense of belonging,” Navarro said.

Navarro has been a major support system for students studying natural sciences. She provides them with academic advising, career counseling, scholarship opportunities, and assists in recruiting. Within her short time at Chico State, she has seen an exponential number of students apply for the research program. Navarro also aims to instill graduate school as an important proponent for students wanting to build a successful career in the natural sciences.

Adelante, the post-graduate mentorship program in the Department of Education, was created because the administration was becoming increasingly aware that students––and especially minority students––did not receive sufficient information and support to pursue graduate school. Adelante’s goal is to create support and exposure for students as early as their sophomore year. Master’s degrees give people an advantage further along in their career as advanced education becomes more in demand. As of 2018, only 13.1 percent of the US population hold advanced degrees. Chico State wants to increase this number nationwide, and they want to start with its students.

Overall, Chico State’s HSI status is much more than receiving federal grants, although that is a benefit. Teresita Curiel, the director of Latinx Equity and Success, shared her perspective on HSI is one that seeks to provide resources and solutions for all students on campus. In her position, she oversees student education through the pursuit of adequate and inclusive resources. Curiel also conducts research, attends grant writing conferences, and advises her collaborative team on upcoming grant proposals. Her work philosophy is “to do right by everyone” while meeting two important goals. The first goal is centered around students, to delegate resources to ensure success after college. The second is more grant-focused because this collaborative team constantly seeks opportunities for students that serve the underserved.

“I want to embrace the responsibility we have to serve our students,” Curiel said. “We do have a responsibility to maximize the participation in these grant programs of Latinx students, but not at the exclusion of others.”

This collaborative team of professors look forward to new opportunities that will come forth for Chico State as an HSI. Some of them hope to have upgraded laboratories, more centers for undergraduate research, and—most importantly—to increase inclusivity, equity, and access for all students.