A few months ago a former student of mine, Caroline Mendez, reached out to me to see if I would be interested in participating in a LaGuardia virtual event to promote STEM professions to students of color. Caroline studied digital media with me back in the early 2000s shortly after I made the switch from corporate IT to academia. She is currently an Academic Advisor for the Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) and is tasked with helping students, particularly students of color, find their way by providing intensive academic advisement, career development, tuition scholarships, textbooks, and transportation assistance. Since I love reconnecting with former students, I eagerly agreed to join the panel discussion on STEM career opportunities.
The need for this discussion was clear. People of color, specifically Hispanics and Blacks, are often underrepresented in STEM fields. According to Pew Research Center, 9% of STEM workers are Black and 8% are Hispanic, although they make up 11% and 17% of all U.S. employed adults. This lack of diversity in STEM may stunt economic growth and potentially weaken the nation’s position as a technology leader because diverse workplaces have been found to foster innovation. This becomes apparent when we consider some of the world’s most prosperous urban centers like New York and London have bustling ethnic communities. According to the World Economic Forum, there’s a “direct correlation between highly-skilled immigration and an increase in the level of innovation and economic performance in cities and regions.”