S.T.E.M Happenings: Courses, Clubs, and Conformity
- The STEM Academy Paper
- Mar 13, 2019
- 5 min read
Trisha Fernando and Riley Harker
March 13, 2019
In an environment such as STEM Academy, the wide diversity of our students allows for each individual to express his or her interests in different ways. Some may feel vulnerable or scared to be different than their peers, but that feeling is common in most, allowing us to all come together and unite in our challenges and obstacles. Throughout the past few weeks, the sophomore class had to explore their own passions and consider their future, but rather than focus on what are usually considered STEM fields, each student was encouraged to choose his or her own idea of how to fit in to a seemingly constricted community. When talking to the diverse student body of the current sophomore class about the classes they chose for the next two years, one can clearly see just how much students can differentiate themselves even when given the same options.
Leo Zhang chose to go with more logical and number-based classes that require straight-forward thinking, since he prefers logic over creative expression. These classes appeal to his dream of going into the medical field. When asked about whether his choices lack individualization at STEM, where most feel compelled to be science and math oriented, Leo answered, “I really enjoy everything about science and math. I live life doing the things I love and I really enjoy doing math and science, so I don't care what other people think . . . I do what I like.”
On the other hand, Riley Bocchicchio chose to be different and go with more creatively based classes. Riley had decided to take HL music in order to have an outlet for expressing his creativity and also master the “universal language”, as he feels music “is something that speaks to everybody”. When asked if he feels different from the stereotype of STEM, Riley answered, “Oh yeah, absolutely. Everyone in STEM either wants to be a doctor, scientist or engineer… you know that ‘kinda’ thing. Everyone in my grade wants to be like that, and I’m over here like I just want to do musical theatre! I do question my place at STEM very often, but in a good way, because I think my choices make me somewhat unique.”
Just between these two students, one can easily to see how each individuals at STEM can be their own persons, even with the pressures and stereotypes within their lives. Frequently in society, we feel the need to conform to a basic image, to be molded into what we feel will please others. However, as we try to make everyone else happy, we lose sight of the best version of ourselves, the version in which we live how we want to despite the outside burdens of society. This concept is reflective of the STEM Academy mindset, in which students hold their own stories, cultures, traditions, and values. However, these characteristics that truly make us our own individual people can be lost if we lose sight of what's truly important: simply doing whatever it is that makes us happy. We need to avoid doing things to please friends, family, or the standards of others; instead, doing what allows us to explore the best image of our own, unique selves - even through something as small as course selection.
In other news, clubs at STEM are also known to harbor different kinds of student based on their individual passions, allowing for diversity within one united student body. As one of the most infamous clubs known to STEM, DECA has just recently returned from its state competition. The STEM Academy had 30 qualifiers for the ICDC (International Career Development Conference) of approximately 450 ICDC qualifiers from PA. In mathematical terms, 7% of the ICDC qualifiers were from STEM. More specifically, STEM DECA had national qualifiers in 21 of the 28 events in which they competed, an amazing accomplishment for the students and future of this club.
Additionally, HOSA, another widely known club for those interested in health and technology, is in its preparation stage for its Wyoming State Leadership Conference in early April. Participant Abhi Nagalla provided insight into the progress of her own HOSA Project: “My event is health education, which requires us to choose a lesson and present it to people and also evaluate the effectiveness of the lesson… It’s been a lot of fun so far and I’m excited to compete in the SLC”! While these clubs may seem to be socially fun and engaging, they also require a certain level of rigor and work ethic in order to truly excel - a pressure that causes most to procrastinate on their assignments. When asked if any obstacles had come in Abhi’s way thus far, she said “Procrastination has been a huge obstacle, as our team didn't realize that the deadline of our project submission was approaching fast. This timeline required us to do a majority of the project in one day, when it probably should've been better to split it up over a longer period of team. Nevertheless. my group members and I put in a good effort so it was all good in the end, and we couldn't be more excited to compete in the SLC in April”.
While most are drawn to clubs simply based on popularity, those with a smaller number of participants are just as fun and teach great lessons. A great club that is on the smaller side includes Friendship Bracelet Club, started this year by sophomore, Rebeca Gonzalez, and advisor, Mr. C. Friendship Bracelet Club provides a great place to decompress during advisory club days. When asked about what inspired her to form Friendship Bracelet Club, she said, "I love to make friendship bracelets for my friends and myself, and my freshman year many people began to ask me to teach them how to make them themselves. So I thought of starting a club, or organization, that would easily teach people how to make cool bracelets that would be fun and impactful”. As Rebeca reflects on why she began making friendship bracelets she says, “When I was little, I always saw the bracelets and how pretty they looked and I wanted to learn how to make them myself. So I started with the simplest bracelets and kept trying until I liked how a design looked.” In Friendship Bracelet Club, members learn to make their own, different types of bracelets and can also sell these bracelets to make money for their Cam-A-Thon teams in anticipation of the Cam-A-Thon event in early April. No prior knowledge about how to make friendship bracelets is needed to join the club, providing members with a chance to be unique and have fun, all while expressing their creativity by making bracelets.
Course selection, clubs, and the many values and passions of each student are what truly makes STEM unique. To follow along more closely with all of the latest happenings of STEM and its community, make sure to keep up with each issue of the STEM Newspaper!
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