The STEM Connections Program at the UCR College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) provides crucial support and advancement opportunities to undergraduates pursuing degrees in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). 

“Simply put, the goal of STEM Connections is to help students transfer, transition, and thrive at UC Riverside,” says Elizabeth Jimenez, Transfer Success Coordinator. Jimenez oversees STEM Connections, as well as the STEM Connections Peer Mentors who help guide transfer students as they acclimate to life at CNAS. 

The Peer Mentors are high achieving, successful CNAS students, and since many of them are transfer students themselves, they understand what  it takes to be successful when transferring to UCR. They are an invaluable resource for those trying to get connected and adjusted to life on campus.

According to Jimenez, STEM Connections also provides opportunities for CNAS transfers to participate in community-building activities, which include transfer peer socials, faculty-student mixers, field trips, student skill-building workshops, and faculty networking opportunities. STEM Connections also supports CNAS in its recruitment of transfer students to UCR through various outreach activities and efforts.

Currently enrolled CNAS students and traditional students are eligible to join STEM Connections, with all first-year transfer students automatically assigned a Peer Mentor. Current students can request to have a Peer Mentor be assigned to them as well.

Jimenez strongly encourages all incoming first-year transfer students to become involved in the STEM Connections Program by becoming a Peer Mentor. “They will be able to network and build connections with faculty and students, and enhance their leadership skills,” she says. “Students who become mentors will also become more connected to campus resources, and are able to enhance their communication skills, learn to balance personal and professional responsibilities, and gain intercultural competence.”

Biology major Nicole Yuen ’23 has been a STEM Connections Peer Mentor for the last two years. During that time, she has mentored transfer students, assisted with the Research in Science and Engineering (RISE) summer program, and hosted various events for CNAS. 

“Since I am one of the mentors that has been on the team the longest, I have also been able to gain more leadership by heading certain projects and learning more about the administrative side of our program,” she explains.

Yuen says that, since becoming a Peer Mentor, her perspective on education has changed. “I am a traditional student, so I came straight to college from high school,” she says. “I saw many transfers come in right away and take advantage of everything that UCR has to offer, from office hours to organizations to different programs. I learned a lot about how important it is to take advantage of opportunities, because you never know where they can lead.”

Biochemistry major Karina Quevedo ’23 echoes that sentiment by continually encouraging students in the program not to impose limits on themselves. “‘Go for it!’ is the big thing that I tell people,” she explains. “If you have any interest in research or STEM-related stuff, just go for it because you never know where it’s going to take you. I’ve had crazy experiences that stemmed from just one email and that have sent me down a whole new path.

“I received an email from the CNAS career newsletter,” she continues, “and it turned out to be for  an internship at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. I applied for it and was accepted, and we did some really cool computational drug research for COVID. That was wild…I had never done anything like that before! I really pushed myself, went for it, and never regretted it.”

According to Yuen, a common talking point with mentees revolves around how to engage in research. Since a sizable number of students transfer to UCR in their third year, many initially feel it is too late to get involved. “I address this concern by walking my mentees step-by-step through how to find different professors to do research on, how to email them, how to prepare for interviews, and how to manage their time once they get into a lab,” she says.

“I get a lot of ‘why?’ questions, and my best answer is always to think with your heart, don’t think with your head,” adds Quevedo. “I know that’s hard and maybe even antithetical for STEM majors. They tend to be very logical people, but sometimes you have to lead from the heart.”

Perhaps the best piece of advice that Quevedo would give to STEM Connections students is to study together in peer groups. “I always wanted to study alone, because I was introverted during my first year or two in college,” she says. “Studying with peers, making collaborative study documents, and meeting weekly to go over the materials has transformed my college experience.”

“My biggest tip is to make a concerted effort to step out of your comfort zone,” Yuen says. “College is a rare time when you are surrounded by so many people and so many opportunities. It can be daunting putting yourself out there, but you never know what can come out of just saying ‘hi’ to the person sitting next to you in class, joining that one organization that seems interesting, or applying for a job that catches your attention.”

When Yuen started at UCR, she was focused on making sure she knew every single detail in her notes and textbooks. “It is so important to learn about the big picture with CNAS classes,” she says. “I changed my studying from passive to active. I try to understand why things happen and how topics connect instead of just trying to memorize all the minor details.”

Both Yuen and Quevedo credit STEM with transforming their college experience and making them more well-rounded as people. 

For Quevedo, participating in the program and working as a Peer Mentor changed her from a self-described “shy introvert” into a mover and shaker and president of the UCR chapter of the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science. Quevedo also served as the outreach coordinator for the California Alliance for Minority Participation in STEM, as well as a member of the Gamma Beta Phi Honor Society.

For her part, Yuen, a COPE Health Scholar, is involved in Phi Delta Epsilon, an on-campus medical fraternity. “No matter where your interests may lead, STEM is a great way to find your community,” she says.
 

Learn more about STEM Connections at https://stem.ucr.edu/.