Allan Hancock College STEM Center staff played host an open house for high school students and their families on April 15 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The event gave students considering careers in STEM—Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics—an inside look at the center’s facilities, staff, and resources.
The evening began with a speech from the president of the college, Kevin Walthers, who complimented STEM Center faculty and staff for their roles in the school’s high transfer rates to Cal Poly.
“We currently have the highest community college acceptance rate to Cal Poly in the country. I am very proud of that and proud that more than 85 percent of our students graduate from Cal Poly,” Walthers said at the open house.
Paul Murphy, dean of math and science at the college, also extended his support for the center, expressing gratitude for the tutoring, counseling, and internship opportunities the center offers to STEM students.
“One of the things we provide that is unique is that we have tutors that are upper-division Cal Poly students that can talk to you about what it’s like to be successful in the fields,” Murphy said to the audience of potential STEM students.
Hancock College science and math counselors Christine Reed and Ashley Brackett also spoke at the event, focusing on the variety of programs the center has for students such as the Career Mentor program and the STEM Career Fair.
“Our goal as a STEM team is to make sure to put you on the right track. We are concerned with developing you as professionals, and that’s why we have these programs and events,” Reed said.
This article appears in Apr 23-30, 2015.