Meet the Future of Latino STEM Professionals: Rosa Reyes

The Lone Star State is the setting for NCLR’s 2016 STEM Youth Summit this January at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. The STEM Youth Summit, generously supported by Shell Oil, is designed to expose Latino youth to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines through hands-on exploratory activities and engagement. At the event, students will have the opportunity to work closely with Latino STEM professionals who seek to increase the number of underrepresented youth in STEM fields. Participants will also have the opportunity to collaborate with other youth from our national Escalera network. As the Summit draws nearer, we’ll be featuring some of the remarkable young people, in their own words, who look forward to attending this year’s event. Today’s spotlight is on Rosa Reyes, a senior at George I Sanchez High School.     

Hi, I’m Rosa. I’m 17 years old and both of my parents are from Mexico, but I was born here. I want to major in Nursing and minor in Finance. One of my hobbies is photography.

I got involved in the NCLR Escalera program when I was a junior during my second semester. My teacher, Mr.Carillo, was going into classes and recruiting for the Escalera Class and I signed up. My favorite part of the NCLR Escalera STEM program is that we get to experience college tours that give us better understanding about the university and what they have to offer.

NCLR Escalera STEM has supported me by showing me how to manage my budget, calculate cost of attendance, apply for college, register for ACT/SAT test, and more. I did not know what STEM was before joining this program. I have learned not only what STEM means, but also that my career goals and interests fall within STEM fields.

From participating in the program I had the opportunity to meet professors, industry professionals and gain valuable experience during my accounting internship. Learning how to approach my parents with my plans of attending a university away from home has also given me the confidence that I really can make a difference in the statistical boundaries that Hispanic women face within STEM fields. I will highly recommend this program to my friends.