Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication has launched Cronkite Noticias/Mixed Voces, a new digital Spanish-language platform for reporting on issues critical to Arizonans.

The new multiplatform website — cronkitenoticias.org — focuses on the economy, education, sustainability, immigration and other issues important to the region’s Latino communities. It is made possible by the Raza Development Fund, the largest Latino community development financial institution dedicated to generating economic growth and opportunities for Latino families across the country. Bilingual Cronkite students are reporting in Spanish for Cronkite Noticias/Mixed Voces, a new digital Spanish-language journalism platform for issues critical to Arizonans. Download Full Image

Cronkite Noticias/Mixed Voces is the successor of Mixed Voces, a pilot project established by RDF in 2014 to provide news and information to Arizona’s Spanish-speaking community. The project succeeded in bringing 35,000 monthly visitors to MixedVoces.com. RDF then gifted the Mixed Voces website and seed money to the Cronkite School to hire a professional editor to support the website and mentor students.

“Cronkite Noticias/Mixed Voces will provide a very important service to Spanish-speaking Arizonans as well as our bilingual journalism students,” said Christopher Callahan, dean of the Cronkite School. “We greatly appreciate the support of the Raza Development Fund in helping us make this initiative a reality.”

Cronkite Noticias is the latest addition to Cronkite News, the news division of Arizona PBS where students get real-world journalism experience working under the guidance of Cronkite School faculty members with extensive professional experience.

Veteran bilingual multimedia journalist Valeria Fernández took over leadership of Cronkite Noticias earlier this month on an interim basis. She is working with a team of six bilingual Cronkite students to produce a variety of in-depth, Spanish-language news content for the website.

Fernández also works as a freelance journalist, having reported for CNN Español, CNN International, Radio Bilingue, PRI's The World, Al Jazeera English, New America Media and The Associated Press. She was named Latina Journalist of the Year by the National Association of Hispanic Publications in 2004.

“I'm honored to be part of a pioneering team of brave ‘reporteros’ who are undertaking the challenge of not only producing news in Spanish, but creating bilingual and multimedia enterprise reports that will serve our community,” Fernández said. “Cronkite Noticias will follow a tradition of community journalism that comes from our predecessor Mixed Voces. Both our website and our Spanish newscast will go beyond the breaking news to deliver shoe leather, in-depth journalism to Latino and Spanish-speaking audiences.”

The Cronkite Noticias team also will collaborate with Cronkite News – Borderlands, in which students cover immigration and border issues under the direction of veteran journalists Angela Kocherga and Alfredo Corchado, both Southwest Borderlands Initiative professors at the Cronkite School.

Cronkite senior Johana Restrepo, who was born in Colombia, South America, and moved to the U.S. at the age of 9, said she grew up with Spanish-language media. “I grew up watching Telemundo and Univision, and I always looked up to those reporters,” Restrepo said. “I wanted to be like them when I was a little girl.”

Now, as a member of the inaugural Cronkite Noticias team, she is reporting stories such as one on the city of Phoenix’s move to issue ID cards to undocumented immigrants.

“The Spanish-speaking community is very big, and it’s an honor to be a part of this,” she said.

Cronkite Noticias/Mixed Voces is one of 13 professional immersion programs at the Cronkite School. The others are a nightly television news broadcast that airs on Arizona PBS, digital news bureaus in Washington and Phoenix, sports bureaus in Los Angeles and Phoenix, a strategic public relations agency, an entrepreneurial digital innovation lab, a business reporting bureau, a borderlands bureau, a digital production bureau, an audience engagement and civic journalism bureau and a national investigative reporting program.

Established in 1999, the Raza Development Fund is a nonprofit corporation and a registered community development financial institution under the U.S. Department of the Treasury. It provides National Council of La Raza affiliates and other Latino-serving organizations access to capital.

With more than $250 million in total assets under management, RDF is the largest Latino community development financial institution in the country. Since its inception, it has provided capital to Latino- serving organizations nationwide. These organizations have received technical assistance and loans that have helped leverage nearly $2.5 billion in private capital for education, childcare, affordable housing and health care projects serving low-income families and individuals.

One ASU student and two influential Arizonans were selected as the 2017 Community Servant-Leadership awardees as a part of Arizona State University's 32nd annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration for their influential work in the community.

Amber Poleviyuma and Lattie and Elva Coor will be honored at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast Celebration on Jan. 19 at the ASU Polytechnic campus. Community Servant-Leadership Awardees Elva and Lattie Coor will be honored at the ASU Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast Celebration on Jan. 19 for their contributions to the community. Download Full Image

The awardees were selected by the ASU MLK Jr. Committee for their servant leadership, for their philosophy of serving first, then leading as a way of expanding service.

The breakfast will also honor 24 students in grades K-12 who were selected from more than 1,300 entries, as winners of the committee’s s annual statewide children’s essay and drawing contest

Contest participants were required to either create a poster illustrating their definition of leadership through service, or write an essay or poem about an individual who personifies that definition. This year’s theme is "Be the face of change."

Poleviyuma, the Student Servant-Leadership awardee, is a community health student at ASU’s College of Nursing and Health Innovation.

“The teachings of my grandpa and my mom instilled the values that I have that make me want to give back and contribute to the community,” she said.

Inspired by her family, members of the Hopi tribe in northern Arizona’s Moenkopi village, Poleviyuma said she aims to use her research to affect policy. In accordance with the Native American values of community and selflessness, she hopes to make a difference in the community and expand communication and understanding across racial and ethnic barriers.

“Even though we don’t have a lot of money and we’re from a place that doesn’t have a lot of resources, we still find ways to give back to each other,” Poleviyuma said.

Although she is interested in addressing a wide variety of issues including environmental, government and health issues, she said she is especially focused on reducing the number of youth suicides on Native American reservations through culturally relevant preventative programming. In 2014, Poleviyuma worked with the Center for American Indian Resilience to conduct research for the Native American Cancer Prevention project, which explored the experiences of Native American cancer patients with health-care providers. She helped found Native Americans for Academics, Success and Unity, an ASU club meant to help Native American students reach their academic goals while engaging with the community.

“That was a way to help with representation and give Native students here on campus a place to be and ways to give back,” she said.

Poleviyuma also worked with the ASU Tribal Nations Tour to reach out to Native American students throughout the state and inspire these students to pursue a college degree upon completing high school. She said Martin Luther King Jr. stood up for people who couldn’t stand up for themselves, and she hopes to do the same.

Poleviyuma says she leads by example to create greater understanding among different peoples, and in this way, hopes to show that these issues aren’t just Native American issues — they’re shared issues.

Native Arizonans Lattie and Elva Coor, the Community Servant-Leadership awardees, have a rich tradition of giving back to the community in a variety of leadership roles. Lattie F. Coor is President-Emeritus and Ernest W. McFarland Arizona Heritage Chair in Leadership and Public Policy at ASU, and chairman and CEO of the Center for the Future of Arizona.

“All of us have an opportunity to bring attention to these issues and then speak out on them,” he said.

Growing up, Coor lived in a diverse area in Avondale, which inspired him to become a champion for equal access to education, regardless of socioeconomic or racial background. 

“The world as I knew it had this rich array of people. ... A significant number were low-income,” Coor said. “I had the privilege of seeing there, what education could do for their lives.”

Throughout his adult life, Coor worked to make the equal opportunity he envisioned into a reality and has received many awards for his work thus far. For the past 26 years, he has served as a university president, first at the University of Vermont from 1976 to 1989, then at Arizona State University from 1990 to 2002. During his time at ASU, he hoped to make the university’s population reflect the diversity within the community.

“There were major ways to change and shape it for the future, and it was that, above all, being in a university and being able to help it as it grew and developed, is what caused me to devote my whole career to that,” Coor said.

In 2002, he founded the Center for the Future of Arizona, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization designed to research and act upon issues relating to the state’s economy, quality of life and civic health. One of the organization’s main focuses is education, and includes a program called SpeakOut AZ that was designed to increase civic participation throughout Arizona and include civics curriculum in schools. 

SpeakOut AZ was created by Coor’s wife and co-awardee, Elva Coor, who has held roles in government and political activities at the local, state and national level, as she seeks to increase community participation in government. Elva Coor also founded a business, which she managed for 20 years, and the Arizona chapter of the National Association of Business Women.

In addition to founding the President’s Community Enrichment Programs at ASU, which aims to unite the university with its surrounding community, Elva Coor has also served on boards and volunteered with many organizations. She also co-founded Building Great Communities, and founded an organization meant to increase the graduation rate of African-American students at ASU.

She said her years of working in the political arena, business, academia and nonprofits led her to value a well-informed and engaged electorate. 

“The success of our great country depends upon providing every child with a good start and great education that prepares them for college, careers and their lives,” Coor said. “Our political system is dependent upon that kind of success, and is dependent upon each of us being involved to help millions of people emerge from poverty.”

For more information about the 2017 MLK Jr. Committee and events celebrating Dr. King’s legacy, go to asu.edu/mlk.

Innovation does not happen in a vacuum. Contrary to popular portrayal, scientific breakthroughs are seldom due to the work of one individual, but rather the result of incremental progress that draws on the research and work of many contributors, from diverse backgrounds, cultures and nations.

In fact, William A. Wulf, former president of the National Academy of Engineering, made a strong and memorable argument in 2002 that the quality of engineering pursuits — and the field as a whole — are greatly affected by the diversity among its practitioners. Download Full Image

“Engineering is a profoundly creative profession — not the stereotype, I know, but something I believe deeply,” said Wulf.

And creativity isn’t something that just happens, it arises from “making unexpected connections between things we already know,” he added.

Wulf concluded that creativity depends on our life experiences, and “without diversity, the life experiences we bring to an engineering problem are limited. As a consequence, we may not find the best engineering solution.”

Much like Wulf, the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering recognize the inherent value that comes from different perspectives and experiences from all walks of life. Inclusion of all — from underrepresented minorities, veterans, international students, to those in the LGBTQ+ community, differently-abled and first-generation students — make the Fulton Schools a richer, more innovative and collaborative engine for change. The Fulton Schools commitment to diversity ensures we produce engineers best-equipped to solve the pressing challenges faced by our world.

As Wulf put it, “As a consequence of a lack of diversity, we pay an opportunity cost, a cost in designs not thought of, in solutions not produced.”

In celebration of our diverse and vibrant student community, this three-part series shares the strides the Fulton Schools have made — and will continue to make — in promoting varying ideas and experiences for the betterment of all.

Each entry features student stories that showcase different facets of the Fulton Schools community and the unique perspective they bring to engineering. The first will highlight students from groups traditionally underrepresented in engineering, the second female students and the third entry will focus on international students.

Part one: Underrepresented minortities

Part two: Female students 

Part three: International students

Editor's Note: This is part one of a three-part series. Access the introduction and additonal sections.

Making strides

The Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering boast a growing minority population, including Hispanic, Native American and African American students, which are traditionally underrepresented groups in science and engineering. Among these students are 4.0 achievers, student org leaders, volunteer coordinators, entrepreneurs and undergraduate researchers — and many of Arizona State University’s best and brightest. Download Full Image

The Fulton Schools approach to engineering education emphasizes the power that comes from a creative, innovative, boundary-stretching engineering student populace. To this end, the faculty and administration nurture programs that increase gender and ethnic diversity in the graduating student population and create an environment in which they can succeed. These programs, combined with scholarships geared toward attracting diverse populations, make ASU’s engineering community broader and richer.

Hundreds of these students are supported and empowered through involvement in engineering student organizations, including the ASU chapters of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, Latinos in Science and Engineering, National Society of Black Engineers, Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, and Construction in Indian Country. In addition, programs such as Engineering Projects in Community Service, the Fulton Undergraduate Research Initiative and the Grand Challenge Scholars Program seek to bring bright young minds from different backgrounds to solve problems, find solutions and learn together.

Leaders in the Fulton Schools aren’t interested in missing out on a single game-changing solution, and are actively changing the face of engineering in their desire to better the world through outstanding engineering achievement.

Through their eyes

Kayla Devault, master’s student, mechanical engineering

Originally from Pennsylvania, but now living in Window Rock, Arizona — the Navajo Nation’s capital city — graduate student Kayla DeVault has long been swept up with a spirit for advocacy.

In November she traveled to Morocco to represent SustainUS, ASU and her Native American citizenship (enrolled Shawnee and Anishinaabe) at The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP 22. At the event, she will enhance discussions on climate change and policy-making with her research background in renewable energy on the Navajo Nation.

“It is a fantastic opportunity for youth and young adults to gain exposure to the entire policymaking process, to unite for a cause we are passionate about, and to lead a campaign to promote the recommendations we collectively agree upon,” said DeVault, who joined SustainUS, a youth-led organization advancing justice and sustainability through advocacy, several years ago.

DeVault is pursuing a master’s degree in mechanical engineering, focusing her research on alternative energy and tribal policies regarding environmental stewardship.

“I am interested in how to make tribal nations stronger contenders in a sustainable world,” DeVault said.

DeVault is an appointed member of the EPA’s NEJAC Youth Perspectives on Climate Working Group and was nominated as a Sequoyah Fellow last year by the American Indian Science and Engineering Society.

“I am a huge fan of combining cultural wisdom with technical knowledge,” said DeVault, adding that she enjoys working “in both of these worlds” and thinks the two complement each other.  

“Western technology and systems can help quantify the wisdom tribes already have,” she said, citing climate change as a good example. “It’s all about balance, global family and responsibility.”

DeVault says the transition to ASU was not without challenges, including a brief stint of living out of her car and the difficult commute from the reservation to Tempe campus.

In particular, she said early support from Marc Mignolet, a professor and graduate program chair in mechanical and aerospace engineering, was so incredible that she turned down her acceptance to the Colorado School of Mines to enroll at ASU.  

“Dr. Patrick Phelan, too, has done some amazing things for me. He is enthusiastic about the project I picked for his solar thermal engineering class and genuinely appreciates traditional knowledge and how I strive to blend it with engineering,” DeVault said.

After graduation DeVault plans to pursue a doctoral degree and to either conduct research or teach part time at a tribal college, as well as to continue to work in tribal policy and research related to energy and climate.

Did we mention she also finds time to excel on ASU’s women’s ice hockey team?

Jalen Knows, junior, civil engineering

Jalen Knox had an illuminating moment while attending the 42nd Annual National Society of Black Engineers Convention in Boston earlier this year.

After attending the convention, Knox said he realized that he wasn’t pursuing an engineering degree solely for himself, but also to benefit the black community and NSBE as a whole.

Knox is a civil engineering junior from Litchfield Park, Arizona, and the current treasurer of the NSBE ASU Chapter.

After the beneficial experience he had in Boston, Knox is now helping to mount a campaign to finance attendance for ASU students at next year’s annual convention in Kansas City, Missouri.  

In addition to involvement with NSBE, Knox has enhanced his undergraduate experience by serving as an undergraduate teaching assistant for two semesters and as a community assistant in the residential community.

After assisting with the CEE 210 (Statics) course, Knox said, “Being a UGTA enhanced my knowledge of structural analysis and was a great opportunity for me to hone my communication skills and to be a tutor for others.”

Knox said scholarships and family support enabled him to excel at ASU. In addition, “the Fulton Schools has an ample amount of information specifically geared towards undergraduates such as internships and networking opportunities.”

In particular, Knox says his engineering education has been enhanced by the mentorship of his fluid mechanics professor Giuseppe Mascaro. In the spring, Knox will conduct undergraduate research as part of the Fulton Undergraduate Research Initiative under Mascaro, and says Mascaro played a role in convincing him to pursue a master’s degree specializing in hydrosystems engineering through the Fulton Schools Accelerated 4+1 program following completion of his studies to earn a bachelor’s degree in 2017.

After graduation, Knox plans to join a company that specializes in water resources, water treatment or water management. He hopes to devote his time to a good company and to eventually obtain a leadership position.

All in all, Knox has had access to a quality education that he feels many African Americans unfortunately lack.

He believes that part of the problem might be that engineering isn’t advertised in black communities as much as other career paths, such as athletics.

“To enroll more African American students the importance of education must be stressed more and the educational system in America’s inner cities must be improved tremendously,” Knox added.

María José Quezada, senior, biomedical engineering

María José Quezada — known around campus as “Joe” — is an international student from Mexico City who has been a leader in coordinating efforts for Hispanic and Latino students young and old.

Now a senior nearing graduation from Arizona State University, she has had no shortage of involvement in academic and campus life.

As an engineering peer mentor, she helped dozens of freshmen students to connect with a strong campus community and important student resources. As an E2 Camp Counselor she welcomed students to the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at an overnight orientation replete with games and networking activities.

And her achievements as an undergraduate researcher interested in neurorehabilitation can’t be ignored.

As part of the Fulton Undergraduate Research Initiative, Quezada has conducted research in the Human Mobility Lab for several semesters, with a focus on the effect of startle reflex in stroke rehabilitation therapy.

She also earned a 10-week spot at an MIT Summer Research Program in which she adapted the Microsoft Kinect game interfaces for MIT Skywalker robot for cerebral palsy and stroke patients gait rehabilitation.

“There is a lot to discover and understand about the way our brain communicates with our body to perform functional tasks,” said Quezada, who plans to pursue a doctoral degree in biomedical engineering and physical therapy to develop better technology and therapeutic tools.

She is also on track to graduate as a Grand Challenge Scholar, a unique designation earned through the completion of innovative curriculum and highly involved research experiences, including entrepreneurial, global and service learning opportunities.

But perhaps most meaningful is her involvement with the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE de ASU) student organization.

As president, she oversees 70 active members and 110 national members. The student organization coordinates social and sporting events, study sessions, as well as industry and professional workshops with companies such as Intel and Texas Instruments.

“Last year, we launched our MentorSHPE program with professionals from SHPE Phoenix to enable students to build a strong relationship with an industry professional that can guide decisions throughout college and after graduation,” Quezada said.

She says a key feature of SHPE de ASU is its impact on the community. In addition to working with the local Sí Se Puede Foundation, the student organization hosts Noche de Ciencias (“Science Night”) at local elementary schools, middle schools and high schools once every semester.

The event features a fun engineering challenge for young students and provides parents with information about how to prepare their kids for college.

“Outreach programs like the ones organized by SHPE de ASU have a great impact on students’ decisions. If young underrepresented minority students can see older engineering students who look like them, they will be able to relate and hence work toward reaching the place where we are at,” Quezada said.

Robyn Haskey, junior, construction management

Construction management junior Robyn Haskey, who is full-blooded Navajo, says student organizations, diversity programming resources (in particular, American Indian Student Support Services) and advisors played an important role during her tough transition from life on the reservation to one of the biggest public schools in the country.

“I am the first in my family to attend college and move away from the reservation, where I had grown up my entire life. I was alone and afraid,” Haskey admited.

However, through organizations like Construction in Indian Country (CIICSO) and the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) she was able to manage the transition.

“Transitioning from life on the reservation to life at a four-year university, let alone a city, was made easier with my new support system,” she said.

Eventually moving from club member to co-president of CIICSO, the student organization has played a prominent role in Haskey’s success as an engineer, connecting her with advisors and “a unique support system of Native peers who are pursuing a similar degree,” says Haskey.

“If I did not have the support system, I do not believe I would have made it this far into my college education. I believe a lot of Native American students who drop out do so because they lost the focus and motivation it takes to pursue a degree. With my support system, I am given a constant flow of motivation to continue my education,” Haskey said.

Her interest in construction management was sparked in a high school class. She is also pursuing an American Indian Studies minor and is a student in Barrett, the Honors College.

After graduation, she aims to travel the country and continue to see the world outside of her reservation. She is also considering joining the U.S. Army Reserve’s construction and engineering division.

Though in the end she has plans to return to her homeland, with hopes to use her new knowledge and experiences to improve living conditions on the reservation.

“On reservations, it is not uncommon for many Native elders and families to live in rural areas without running water, electricity and a means of transportation. I believe improving the infrastructure on reservations would improve the ability of reservations to help lower unemployment and poverty rates, and hopefully improve high school graduation rates,” Haskey said.

 

This is part two of a three-part series. Access the introduction and additional sections

Diverse engineers for diverse technology

Women have played pivotal roles in science and engineering innovation for decades, but their contributions haven’t always been in public view. Download Full Image

In recent years, this has started to change.

Last month, President Barack Obama awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the nation, to two great 20th century women in science and technology: Margaret H. Hamilton, a mathematician and computer scientist who led the team that developed NASA’s Apollo module on-board flight software, and the late Rear Admiral Grace Hopper, a computer programming pioneer from the 1940s through the 1980s who created the compiler. They joined 19 others, including household names in art, sports and philanthropy, honored as highly admirable contributors to our society.

This kind of visibility on women in STEM is critical for the future of women in these fields, as girls and young women are gaining prominent role models to demonstrate that this is a career path where they, too, can be successful.

“If you look up and see no one like you, it is hard to envision your own career path,” said Nadya Bliss, professor of practice in computer science and director of the Global Security Initiative at Arizona State University.

It’s important that engineering and technology fields attract women because they need women to be successful.

“If we want our technology to be for diversity of users, diversity of people should make it,” Bliss said. “You can’t engineer solutions for a diverse world with a non-diverse segment of the population.”

The Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering are committed to balancing the STEM population with the general population. Numerous programs and organizations at the Fulton Schools aim to increase gender diversity in science and engineering, led by women who have found their passion in various engineering fields and are now helping others pursue these rewarding career paths.

Through their eyes

Juliana Vazquez, junior, civil engineering

Juliana Vazquez didn’t grow up with an interest in engineering, or even an awareness of what an engineer did. But now she’s leading the ASU chapter of the Society of Women Engineers and making sure young girls do grow up with engineering in mind for their futures.

With academic strengths in math and science, in high school Vazquez first considered architecture. Upon exploring ASU’s degree programs as a junior, however, she discovered civil engineering fit her skill set and interests better than architecture. This discovery set her off on an engineering path she never imagined she would pursue.

“Civil engineering seemed like the best option at the time and for me it still is,” said Vazquez, who is also a student in Barrett, the Honors College. “The major is so broad that you can see what you like best and go with it.”

Vazquez has been making the most of her time at ASU, getting involved in Phi Sigma Pi, a gender-inclusive national honor fraternity, and even playing on the ASU women’s rugby team.

“ASU and the Fulton Schools provide so much to their students to be successful,” Vazquez said. “From E2 Camp to FURI to the Grand Challenge Scholars Program to job opportunities, the list goes on and on.”

Next semester she’ll begin undergraduate research in the Fulton Undergraduate Research Initiative. She hopes to also get an internship to help her decide on a subfield of civil engineering for when she pursues her master’s after graduating in 2018.

As she continues to explore her own options in civil engineering concentrations and careers, Vazquez helps other Fulton Schools women engineers as president of SWE at ASU.

SWE aims to help women be successful as engineering professionals and leaders, expand the perception of engineering as a positive force in improving quality of life and demonstrate the value of diversity in engineering.

“SWE at ASU is very focused on professional development,” Vazquez said. “We have local companies come to our general body meetings to speak to our members about what they do, who they are looking for and why they should apply. We also hold a company panel which includes a few different companies who answer any questions that our members might have about them.”

Throughout the year, SWE also hosts informal networking events with professors and professionals for members to find opportunities in research and to learn about companies’ recruitment and interview processes without the nerves involved in a career fair or formal event.

Though the number of women pursuing engineering majors and careers is improving, Vazquez believes there still aren’t enough women in engineering.

For next year, SWE is working on adding to its Girl Scouts for Engineering Awareness and Retention Day (G.E.A.R.) program, an outreach event for local Girl Scout troops where they work on STEM-related projects.

“This year we are hoping to bring in industry professionals to speak with the parents about the opportunities of a STEM-related major,” Vazquez said.

Vazquez believes women’s professional organizations play a huge role in attracting female students to engineering, especially through outreach events that aim to introduce engineering to students who were never exposed to the field.

“All students should know about STEM opportunities out there for them,” Vazquez said. It shouldn’t be a choice between a doctor or lawyer for a high paying, prestigious job — it should be doctor, lawyer or engineer.”

Waverly Roeger, senior, computer science

Waverly Roeger was once unsure about pursuing computer science because she felt uncomfortable being only one of two girls who clashed with the boys in her high school computer science class.

Roeger applied for college as a math major due to her lack of confidence with the engineering community until she met Professor Deborah Trytten of the University of Oklahoma, the first women she encountered in the field, who discussed the projects she was working on.

“I came away with a newfound confidence that I would find a community within computer science,” Roeger said. “I changed my plans and have never regretted it since.”

Once she arrived at ASU she started getting involved with the ASU STEM community as often as she could. The senior has now participated in the Fulton Schools’ Grand Challenge Scholars Program and Engineering Projects in Community Service and helped incoming freshmen as a counselor at E2 Camp. She has also mentored with the Arizona Mentor Society and the Barrett Mentoring Program, and even served as the music manager of the ASU Outreach Choir. She currently mentors with Global Guides and is secretary of the Hearthstone Club for players of the virtual card strategy game.

Now she leads the Women in Computer Science organization at ASU to help others feel confident in pursuing their passions.

“Women in Computer Science is an organization at ASU that acts as a support network and resource for female and other minority students,” said Roeger, who is also a student in Barrett, the Honors College.

Throughout the year they host K-12 outreach, professional development, coding competitions and social events. They help members prepare for technical interviews, discuss topics from all-female classes to grad school to entrepreneurship, and volunteer with their outreach partners.

“I believe how we most help our members is by connecting them to each other,” Roeger said. “Having a network of peers to relate to and rely on is so essential when you are always the odd one out in your classes.”

These connections are crucial to attracting and retaining women in engineering and technology, Roeger said.

“Women’s engineering organizations are so vital for us to first realize we are not alone, from friendships with people who have similar experiences, to support from each other when we need it,” she says.

Roeger also wishes for women to be more visible in STEM than they are now.

“If young girls can see it, they know it’s possible and they are free to dream,” Roeger said.

After she graduates in May 2017 her outreach efforts won’t stop there. She plans to start her career as a software developer and continue to work in women- and diversity-focused programs as well as K-12 educational outreach “to show girls the awesomeness of programming when they’re young and imaginative.”

She strongly believes having more women and other underrepresented groups in STEM will help better serve the world.

“It’s important to recognize the value that diversity brings to teams of engineers who are engineering for a diverse population,” Roeger said.

Vanessa Sanchez, senior, construction management

Vanessa Sanchez got her start in construction with a suggestion from her family. Her uncle, who owns his own company in the construction industry, saw a need for women in the field and thought it would be a great fit. 

Though she was unsure when she began her college career about what major was right for her, once she took a few construction classes and broke ground in the Fulton Schools construction management program, she knew it was the right choice.

“Now I can’t see myself in any other industry,” Sanchez said.

The construction management senior has funneled her developing passion for construction as the president of Advancing Women in Construction, a Fulton Schools organization that offers mentorships, networking events and volunteer opportunities to students in the Del E. Webb School of Construction. 

“We strive to increase and retain the number of women graduating from DEWSC,” said Sanchez, who is proud that more women are becoming informed and encouraged to pursue STEM majors and degrees. “Engineering is a male-dominated industry, and at times it can be intimidating. Organizations like AWIC are a way for females to feel like they belong.”

Sanchez says women’s professional and engineering organizations are important for students’ continued success, and she especially believes the opportunity to build a professional network benefits members.

“Women’s organizations have motivated me to continue pursuing a career in construction as they have provided me with the opportunity to network with successful women in the industry,” Sanchez said. “Without organizations such as AWIC, I would not have the opportunity to network with as many females in the industry.”

Over the summer, Sanchez and fellow AWIC members joined more than 300 construction industry professionals at the Women in Construction West Coast Conference in San Diego. They participated in two days of networking, educational presentations and panel discussions that gave insights into careers in construction.

She also believes it’s important to put effort into recruiting and informing young students about construction and other STEM majors and careers. To this end, AWIC conducts outreach activities, including their annual AWIC Girl Scout Wagon Build, where AWIC volunteers assist local Girl Scout troops in constructing wagons to use during their annual cookie sales.

“The Wagon Build gives AWIC an opportunity to inform the Girl Scouts about the opportunities for women in the construction industry,” Sanchez said.

After graduating in spring 2017, Sanchez plans expand her construction knowledge before to work her way up to another leadership role.

“I want to work with a general contractor in the construction industry to gain as much knowledge as possible,” Sanchez said. “Eventually, my ultimate career goal is to successfully operate a residential construction company.”

 

Editor's note: This is part of a series of profiles for fall 2016 commencement. See more graduates here.

As a returning college student in an Arizona State University online “Digital Literacies” course, Gary Walker-Roberts admitted that he was “not good at technology.” Even the word “technology” scared him. Graduating master's student Gary Walker-Roberts, seen here on his wedding day to his husband in Hawaii on June 27, 2015, was recently appointed to the Contra Costa (California) Community College Board. He is the first openly LGBTQ person to serve on the board, where he hopes to advocate for “under-represented minority students’ needs and also continue to develop the Veterans Resource Centers throughout the district.” Download Full Image

Despite his initial reluctance and busy schedule — Walker-Roberts worked full-time as an account executive and volunteered for LGBTQIA causes while in enrolled at ASU — he embraced the new challenge and his course of study. He credits course instructor Bruce Matsunaga with helping him overcome his digital fears.

Walker-Roberts will graduate from ASU’s online Master of Arts in English in program, saying that he no longer feels overwhelmed when facing a technological challenge. In fact, he has applied his new digital skills to an online LGBTQ public awareness campaign that he launched as part of his final applied project. Trans Visibility has already been used as a resource in LGBT Studies courses at Los Medanos College, where Walker-Roberts earned associate degrees and where he is still connected through outreach organizations.

Walker-Roberts, who lives in Antioch, California, was recently appointed to the Contra Costa Community College Board. He is the first openly LGBTQ person to serve on the board, where he hopes to advocate for “under-represented minority students’ needs and also continue to develop the Veterans Resource Centers throughout the district.” The appointment moves him one step closer to his goal of a career in community college teaching.

As he prepares for graduation day, we caught up with Walker-Roberts to ask a few questions.

Question: What was your “aha” moment, when you realized you wanted to study in your field?

Answer: My "aha" moment was when my mentor, Dr. Laurie Huffman [of the California Community College System], told me that I would be more hirable in the community college system if I had a master’s in English, math or science from a university that has both a sound accreditation and reputation. She suggested Arizona State University for their reputation of online programs. I am a great storyteller and a good writer, so I chose English and have been happy with my choice ever since.

Q: What’s something you learned while at ASU — in the classroom or otherwise — that surprised you, that changed your perspective?

A: I learned at ASU that you can overcome self-doubt! I doubted that I was talented enough to obtain a degree in English! My inner voice told when I first began the degree, "You cannot do this. What are you thinking?" However, with the support of my husband, amazing professors, and the ASU English department, I successfully completed the program.

Q: Why did you choose ASU?

A: I chose ASU because of its reputation! Moreover, they are one of the only universities that is accessible to students outside of the Tempe area. They are one of the only universities in the United States that offers a rigorous and reputable English master's program online. I am so happy that I chose ASU, but in reality ASU chose me!

Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to those still in school?

A: The best piece of advice that I would give to those still at the university would be to constantly look in the mirror, smile, and state out loud, "I will do this! I have what it takes to complete this degree!" In addition, I would encourage them to buy the degree frame from the bookstore, hang it on their wall and when that feeling of panic, giving up, or frustration sets in (finals week), look at the empty frame and remember that soon you'll have that degree on the wall and on your resume! Lastly, I would advise them that it's OK to take some personal "me" time and relax. Don't feel guilty if you need to take an entire day and rest in bed, or take off for two or three days for a mini escape. Clear your mind and return fresh and hit the books hard!

Q: If someone gave you $40 million to solve one problem on our planet, what would you tackle?

A: $40 million is a random number, but I would try to tackle LGBTQIA education around the world. There is a lot of work to do in our world to end years of institutionalized LGBTQIA bigotry that leads to violence on all levels: hate crimes, internalized bigotry, suicide, murder and criminalization in our own country and abroad. LGBTQIA were once respected and occupied a special place in human society that gave them equality resulted in thriving in the world safely. Sadly, that is not the case today in our world, but with that money our communities megaphone would get much bigger and we could reach around the globe faster and harder. One of my favorite quotes is from Margaret J. Wheatley: "You can't hate someone whose story you know."

The Department of English is an academic unit of ASU’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Lisa Baer had little hesitation making the decision her freshman year to major in computer science.

Now, looking forward to graduating from Arizona State University in the spring, Baer said she has never second-guessed her choice. In fact, she is “more passionate than ever” in pursuit of a career as a computer scientist. Carole-Jeane Wu (standing in center), an assistant professor of computer science in ASU's Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, says more diversity in her field will enable it to better serve society's varying needs. Photo by Peter Zrioka/ASU Download Full Image

But despite the confidence she gained in her abilities in the field during the past four years, she wasn’t completely immune to what psychologists call the “impostor syndrome.”

“It’s that feeling you get that your accomplishments aren’t due to your own merits, and fearing that one day you will be exposed and disappoint people,” she said.

She wasn't alone among her fellow female computer science students in experiencing such feelings.

Studies say the syndrome seems to be common even among high-achievers, particularly women who find themselves in situations where they can feel out of place or isolated because of their gender.

That describes the kind of environment found in many computer science college classrooms and labs, where women remain a disproportionately small minority.

“You might think that being the only woman in a class would make you feel special. But it really doesn’t,” said Nichola Lubold, who earned an undergraduate degree in computer engineering and is now working on a doctoral degree in computer science.

“I’ve never felt that I’m not good enough,” she said. “But you can still get this feeling that maybe I don’t belong and maybe this isn’t right for me.” 

Connecting with peers, mentors and role models

Carole-Jean Wu, an assistant professor of computer science in ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, said she sees that kind of doubt prevalent among some of the female students who make up only 15 percent of the 1,900-plus computer science majors at the university.

As a result, “we have really bright students who don’t stay” in the program, Wu said.

She points out that in addition to a small percentage of peers among female computer science majors, the number of female faculty members in the program is also comparatively low.

“So those students don’t see a lot of role models, and some of them don’t see a friendly environment or a good future for themselves in the field,” she said.

To try to change that situation, Wu and some of her faculty colleagues have worked to establish and maintain support for a scholarship program to send many of the women in the Fulton Schools computer science program to the annual Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing.

The event produced by the Anita Borg Institute for Women in Technology and presented in partnership with the Association for Computing Machinery is the world’s largest technical conference for women in computing, drawing more than 15,000 participants from more than 60 countries.

With a grant from the Anita Borg Institute’s Building, Recruiting and Inclusion for Diversity (BRAID) initiative, and additional support from one of the Fulton Schools — the School of Computing, Informatics, and Decision Systems Engineering— and ASU’s Global Security Initiative, 50 of ASU’s female computer science students were able to earn scholarships to make the trip to Houston for the 2016 Grace Hopper conference in October.

At least 10 other ASU students also attended — some with support from companies for which they are working as interns.

A scholarship program started by faculty members has enabled many women majoring in computer science at ASU to attend the annual Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing. The conference enables students connect to a community of mentors, peers, role models and potential employers in the computer science field. Pictured are some of the more than 50 ASU students who attended this year’s conference. Photo by Faye Navabi/ASU

Feeling a sense of community

The event features leaders in the field from industry, academia and government, presentations on research, opportunities for networking and mentoring, and a career fair for those seeking jobs and student internships.

In addition, there are professional development sessions geared to address the particular concerns of women working in the high-tech world.

Students get chances to see and learn about women who are making significant contributions to computing, and to seek out professional relationships that could nurture them throughout their careers, Wu said.

“It’s a good place to meet people in various stages of their careers, especially women who are dealing with career, family and life challenges at different times in their lives,” she said. “Students can learn from people who have successfully dealt with these issues.”

Baer said it’s invaluable for students because “you feel a sense of community, like you can be part of something important and make a real difference.”

Lubold, who wants to have children while still building her career, said the conference has given her the opportunity to “hear from women who have been where I am in my career and to learn from their experience.”

Learning about overcoming obstacles

Nichole Emmons, who is graduating with a bachelor's degree in December, calls the conference a “really powerful” experience.

“It’s amazing to see how it impacts the younger students, the ones you can tell are having those thoughts about wondering whether they want to be in a male-dominated field,” she said. “[The conference] gives them a new perspective and people they can relate to. You can see that it is going to change them.”

Waverly Roeger, who will receive her bachelor's degree in the spring, was once one of those students.

Talking and listening to others who had coped with feelings of being outsiders within their field of study “made me feel that I did belong, and that was a huge weight lifted off me,” she said.

The conference also helped her to see that the challenges she was facing were not a sign of a lack of ability.

“You learn about the obstacles these women overcame, and that their success didn’t happen because they are geniuses,” Roeger said. “You see that it took them years of hard work to build up what they have.”

Inclusiveness brings benefits to the field

The students are emphatic that their profession will contribute more to society if its practitioners are more diverse.

“When you bring different kinds of people to the table, there is a wellspring of creativity,” Lubold said. “We will come up with new technologies and solutions adapted to the different needs of a wider range of people.”

Emmons said that if only a select group of people are involved in making and using new technologies, “then a lot of people are just going to be left out” of the future that technologists are creating.

The Grace Hopper conference “is inspiring and motivating,” Roeger said, “but you also see there is a lot that still has to be done to bring awareness about the importance of diversity. And it’s not just about gender but across the spectrum of ethnicity and culture and people of color, LGBTQ people, and people with varying abilities and disabilities.”

Wu, who directs the Fulton Schools’ Energy-Efficient Computer Architecture Lab, said diversity improves the quality of research.

“It brings different perspectives to how we approach solving problems and to our decisions about what problems are most important to solve,” she said.

Women needed to meet labor demand

Nadya Bliss, director of ASU’s Global Security Initiative, is especially concerned about the lack of women earning degrees in computer science. Fewer than one out of five undergraduate degrees in computer science and engineering go to women, according to some studies.

Nadya Bliss

Bliss said the field is becoming more essential to the pursuit of advances “in every kind of security challenge we have,” including national defense, climate security and health security.

More than that, computer science is more integral to everything from biology, business and medicine to agriculture, manufacturing, construction, journalism and social sciences, she said.

She sees the need for computer science expertise growing so rapidly that demand will significantly exceed supply, and that without more women in the field the labor pool will be depleted.

“We’re looking at maybe a million unfilled jobs,” she said. “So it’s important that schools as big as the Fulton Schools and ASU take on the challenge of helping to solve this problem.”

Much of the problem stems from “culturally ingrained attitudes” about women in science, and in computer science in particular, which are causing women to choose not to pursue those careers, she said.

Many female high school and even college students who are interested in science, engineering and other technical fields often “look around their classrooms and don’t see anyone who looks like them,” she said.

Evolving beyond stereotypes

Bliss, who spent a decade in leadership roles at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory, a Department of Defense Research and Development Laboratory, said she was fortunate to grow up in a family with a tradition of women in highly skilled technical jobs.

Her mother is an engineer, one grandmother led a company’s technology division and the other grandmother was a neurologist.

As a computer science undergraduate at Cornell University, she was usually one of only a handful of women in her classes, but she had male mentors to whom “gender didn’t matter,” she said. “They just saw me as a smart student who they should help to advance. I never questioned whether I should be there.”

The work environment at MIT Lincoln Laboratory was similarly supportive.

“If you were into math, it didn’t mean you could not be into dresses. There wasn’t that image of ‘real scientists don’t wear dresses.’ The culture was one of technical meritocracy,” she said.

Unfortunately, the stereotypes still have a widespread negative impact.

“It’s not good to have a culture that is not friendly to diversity, not friendly to things like people with families also having careers,” Bliss said.

Until only a few years ago, she was not compelled to talk much about the subject. She recalls telling those who asked her to speak out that she saw herself “as a computer scientist, not as a woman computer scientist, and I didn’t want to move out of my scientist role and into the role of the woman talking about these touchy issues.”

Now she realizes, “It’s better for everyone if we just talk about this and deal with it. We need to break out of the stereotype mold, and I’m at a point in my career where I want to do everything I can to keep women from quitting the field because of that.”

Making diversity a priority

Wu points out that in addition to strong support from Bliss, other ASU colleagues in the computer science program have been putting extra effort into aiding that cause.

Wu worked with senior lecturer Faye Navabi to develop the scholarship program that has sent hundreds of students to the Grace Hopper conference over the past three years. Navabi and Principal Lecturer Mutsumi Nakamura oversee a Women in Computer Science student club.

Assistant Professor Sharon Hsiao and Lecturer Kanika Grover are on the scholarship program’s organization committee. Grover and Navabi went to this year’s Grace Hopper event as mentors to the ASU students who attended.

Professor Ronald Askin, the former director of the School for Computing, Informatics, and Decision Systems Engineering, has supported the scholarship program from its inception.

He helped to raise funds to establish the scholarship and then continued to participate in activities to raise awareness of the need for women in the field, Wu said.

Askin has been joined in his support by the school's interim director, professor Sandeep Gupta.

“They have all been going above and beyond the call of duty to make this an important goal,” Wu said.