Where are They Now?

Advice for High School Students From the 2019 STEM Forward Scholarship Recipients as They Reflect on Their Freshman Year

By Maureen Haeger

As we are in the midst of determining our 2020 STEM Forward High School Scholarship winners, it got me thinking about our past winners and wondering, “where are they now?” so I reached out to the previous winners to find out how their first year in college was going and more specifically, how did winning the scholarship impact their lives.

My first conversation was with Amber Rothe, who is finishing her freshman year at the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) and plans to double major in Biomedical Engineering and Computer Engineering. She feels this will be a great combination to allow her to secure her dream job, designing medical devices with embedded computer systems.

When asked what she enjoyed most about college, Amber replied, “The people. Everyone here is passionate about STEM and Engineering, so we are all interested in the same thing.”

Amber is also involved in other extracurricular clubs, including being a member of MSOE’s NASA Robotic Mining Competition Team and the Biomedical Engineering Society, where she has been nominated Secretary for the next academic year. She still finds time to mentor a FIRST TECH Challenge Team 13201 TEAM HAZMAT, where she hopes to inspire the next generation of engineers.

How did Amber get interested in engineering? She said at a young age she really liked science, and she got introduced to engineering by her parents. However, the one event that made the most significant impact for Amber was participating in a FIRST Robotics Team in high school and building a robot with fellow students.

This experience gave her the tools she needed to succeed by providing her with leadership experience, interaction with “real” engineers, mentorship, and an introduction to STEM Outreach programs. It was through these interactions she learned about a high school internship at Rockwell Automation, and through hard work and dedication, her internship has been extended into college. Looking to the future, Amber wants to take on additional leadership roles and inspire more kids to pursue STEM.

What advice does Amber have for high school students heading off to college in the fall? “Stay on top of everything. You are on your own now, so you need to plan out your time. Do what you need to do when you need to do it. This is becoming an adult.”

Looking for more advice? Check out this blog on 42 College Tips I Learned Freshman Year.

I also spoke with Malyun Ali, a freshman at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee studying Information Science Technology with plans to minor in communications and human resources.

When asked what her biggest challenge was this past school year, she replied, “One of my grades didn’t turn out as I wanted it to due to being overwhelmed and putting extra pressure on myself. When you start college, you look around and see that everyone is academically as strong as you, so you feel the pressure to succeed,”

Her advice for high school students heading off to college is:

- When you are confused or have questions, go to your professor’s office hours and talk to your teachers.

- Ask advisors what classes you should take to be sure these classes will be applying towards your major. Also, when choosing electives, pick something that interests you. Malyun always tries to take one sport and recreation class to help keep her balanced and relaxed.

- Don’t wait until you are a senior in college to look for an internship. Attend the internship fairs and network. You never know how these connections will help you in the future.

How did Malyun become interested in pursuing a STEM degree?

“Growing up, I loved computers, and my Dad used to help me fix computers.” She said that she was naturally very inquisitive and had a desire at a young age to do something that wasn’t traditional for women. This led her to coding. She credits attending Bradley Tech High School, which requires a student to take three trade and three tech courses, for igniting a real passion for STEM. Malyun enrolled in a Photoshop and web design course, and it is in this class where she was introduced to coding.

She was thankful to secure a summer internship at GE Healthcare, where she was an assistant to a software engineering team. Through this involvement, her passion grew, and there was no turning back. It is a vital reminder of how important exposure to STEM-related careers are for students before they graduate high school or are even thinking about what they want to do with the rest of their life.

Both Malyun and Amber made a point to say thank you to those who made the scholarship possible. The scholarship for each has lessened the financial burden of college which allows them to worry less about student debt and to concentrate more on academics and activities.

Amber also added about winning the STEM Forward High School Scholarship, “It is great to know that the work I was doing in high school was appreciated and noticed by people in the STEM Community.”

I have no doubts that both Amber and Malyun have bright futures, and I am so proud to be part of a dedicated STEM community that, through time and dedication, enable students to follow their dreams. We will be announcing our 2020 scholarship winners by the end of May.

To learn more about how you can help support the STEM Forward Scholarships and get involved in STEM Programming, visit www.stemforward.org.

Posted on May 20, 2020 by Maureen Haeger, Communications Manager, STEM Forward