BIO

Tristny is a first-year Presidential Scholar from Yulee, FL majoring in Exercise Physiology. Tristny is currently on a pre-medical track with goals to pursue medical school. Tristny is a student with the intention of working on initiatives guiding underprivileged areas and leading others. On campus, she exhibits her passion for these through organizations such as FSU Presidential Scholars, Phi Delta Epsilon Pre-Medical Fraternity, Undergraduate Research (Neighborhood Camp Fairs: Helping students in Tallahassee find free STEM Enrichment Opportunities), Alpha Phi Fraternity as the assistant to the Director of Philanthropy, and FSU Orientation Leaders.

Bridging the Barrier Between Underrepresented Tallahassee Students and STEM Enrichment Opportunities

Abstract

The southside of Tallahassee is an underrepresented area, consisting of Title 1 schools and limited community resources. Some students who are interested in STEM but do not have the funds to do so will need an outlet that allow them to. Our goal is to eliminate these barriers. This is crucial as these fields are currently lacking diversity. Furthermore, entrance into STEM careers can provide those coming from these communities with stable, well-paying jobs.
In collaboration with the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, we spearheaded the Neighborhood STEM Fairs. Through these fairs, we aim to provide K-12 students with exposure to a variety of free or affordable STEM summer programs. At the fair, students can walk around and interact with different vendors, in hopes of signing up for a program. The two fairs being held annually are the Neighborhood Camp Fair for K-8 students and Neighborhood Internship Fair for 6-12 students. Through our research, we aim to devise ways to increase attendance at the fairs in comparison to previous years. Consequently, we will be increasing the exposure of underrepresented students to STEM programs. We accomplished this through increasing the amount of camps participating and strategizing new ways to market to students and parents. The future for this project is expected to build a stronger connection between the southside community of Tallahassee and STEM programs--eliminating the barrier of socioeconomic status.

Keywords: STEM, Education, Outreach, Social Work