BUILDING PATHWAYS TO STEM CAREERS THROUGH COMMUNITY COLLEGES

Community Colleges enroll almost half of U.S. undergraduates and are predicted to produce 12% of the workforce for STEM professions. Half of these students are first in their family to attend college and therefore, are more likely unfamiliar with the steps required to transfer to four-year universities or internship programs. Two federally funded programs, Geo-Launchpad and Bridges to Baccalaureate were developed at FRCC with the community college student in mind. These programs work to expose students to internships and research opportunities that assist in gaining postsecondary education or workforce employment. Bridges to Baccalaureate, funded by the National Institute of Health, succeeds in creating a guided plan towards transfer, research, and graduation in biomedical or behavioral sciences at Colorado State University. The focus of this presentation will be Geo-Launchpad, funded by the National Science Foundation, which developed a career course as part of a three-tiered approach to the program. Geo 210: Careers/Research in the Geosciences succeeds in introducing students to current research, tools, techniques, internship opportunities, professions, and transfer programs in the Geosciences. The program establishes mentor relationships as a point of support, decreasing the impact of anxiety driven by overwhelming pressure from application processes, professional research, and accessing self-strengths. Early results show success in completing the program’s goals. Students completing the career course show interest in pursuing Geoscience-driven internship and transfer programs. The Geo-Launchpad team is working to identify and analyze different strategies to overcome challenges associated with the course. Commonly, an ‘imposter syndrome’ exists in the student’s mind; they believe they are not sufficiently prepared, educated, or experienced for the program. Difficulty persists in attracting students to the career course as it is not guaranteed to transfer. The confidence students have in understanding their capabilities into applying to these programs and the benefits they offer needs to be improved.