GIRLS IN STEM: checking in with the 2023 Scholarship Winners

By Maureen Haeger

Recently, I connected with STEM Forward’s 2023 high school scholarship recipients to check-in. After conversing with both young women, I am so excited about the future STEM workforce and want to share with you how they are doing as they navigate their first year in college. These talented women have demonstrated academic excellence and found ways to foster their passion for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Their dedication and hard work have truly set them apart, and we are excited to see how they will continue to positively impact the STEM field.

I met with Adaobi Nnamuchi and Lily Schick, both finishing their first year at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. I was happy to hear that their first year in college was going very well. Both women commented that although their coursework is more challenging than high school, it allows them to grow and be exposed to robust STEM content.

Biggest Surprise?

Adaobi mentioned, “It is up to you to schedule your time and be responsible for getting things done, and you don’t have a teacher or a parent reminding you or telling you what to do.” This requires a different level of accountability and responsibility in college. She was told this fact before entering college but experiencing it is very different. Lily’s biggest surprise is that her fellow students have the same dedication to their studies and have similar interests. This has allowed her to make new friends quickly by finding common interests.

Biggest Challenge?

When asked about their biggest challenge in college, both recipients said time management. It can be challenging to balance your time with heavy course loads and research positions. Being very organized is critical, but Adaobi mentions that you also need to be flexible along with the need to react quickly. Being more flexible can be hard when you are used to a lot of structure.

Advice to High School Seniors?

Work on your time management. They are looking for some tips to help college students manage their time. Read the blog.

Adaobi had two pieces of advice. First, you need to set yourself up for financial success. She recommends applying for as many scholarships as possible for high school seniors, even if it is a small amount. It all adds up! Secondly, she advises high school students to consider schools closer to home. At first, she wanted to go outside of Wisconsin for college, but she realized the smartest decision she made was to choose UW-Madison so she could go home when she wanted to vs. having to fly across the country. Adaobi knows she can always travel in the future and has plans to study abroad and look at future summer internships in other states.

Lily advises college freshmen to stay at school and resist the temptation to go home if they can. When you stay at school, it forces you to look for opportunities to meet other students. It also makes you try new things and explore a new city. Lily recommends taking advantage of the plethora of events, organizations, and things to do in college. It is your chance to spread your wings.

What would be your dream job?

Both girls expressed their passion for healthcare when asked about their dream job. Lily plans to obtain a Global Health certificate for an agency or non-profit; she is passionate about Environmental justice and would like to pursue environmental law as well.

Since her parents immigrated to the United States from Nigeria in 2004, Adaobi would like to be a traveling physician and is looking to fund hospitals and improve healthcare for Nigerians. She wants to combine her passion for healthcare and her love for her culture.

How were you inspired to pursue STEM?

Both scholarship winners attribute their parents to being great role models and encouraging the girls to pursue STEM. An early introduction helped Lily get excited about Engineering. “My Dad put me in a Girls Who Code event at MU in 6th grade and we were introduced to biomedical engineers. It was at that moment that I realized, this engineering thing: I can do this.”

Adaobi shared that her inspiration was her mom, who encouraged her to pursue medicine. Adaobi loves that there are so many different avenues of medicine and that they are constantly changing. This is evident through her research opportunity. She is assisting her mentor in oncology research, specifically looking at COLD cancer cells (stubborn cancer not reacting to treatment) and researching how to help the immune system and make treatments less harmful to the cancer patient. Her mom is a breast cancer survivor, so this is personal for Adaobi.

How did winning the scholarship impact you?

Both girls commented that it helped them by relieving financial pressure since it allowed them not to feel pressured to find the highest-paying job. Instead, it allows them to look for research for credit or a position that doesn’t pay very much. Both have grown and learned so much from their research positions.

Lily mentioned that an additional benefit of winning the scholarship was that it allowed her to speak to others and talk about herself at the Scholarship Fundraiser Golf Outing. This is an important skill to master, and she felt fortunate to be able to do this in front of those raising money for STEM Forward’s Scholarships. 

Adaobi said it allows her to focus on academics, exceed her GPA goals, and do research. “I see my peers struggling to work and trying to balance everything.” Getting the time to study hard and gain experience through research, she secured a summer internship at Wisconsin Public Health. She will be working for Partners in Hope (PIH), a robust prisoner reintegration initiative impacting Milwaukee residents since 2018. Borrowing from the success of a Las Vegas initiative, Hope for Prisoners, PIH is committed to assisting individuals in their successful transition back into society. PIH provides participants with a one-week soft skills workshop, called a “cohort,” equipping them for the transition ahead. They receive daily training in essential skills such as goal setting, time management, and financial literacy. Following this, they can receive job training by working in transitional jobs at our stores. She is excited about this opportunity to work with re-entry populations on their general mental health needs.

After hearing from the 2023 STEM Forward Scholarship recipients and learning how well they are doing and their plans for the future, it is clear that our future is bright. Help us inspire the next generation of STEM talent by participating in the 19th Annual STEM Forward Scholarship Fundraiser Golf Outing & Silent Auction on August 8, 2024. Details can be found at www.stemforward.org/scholarship-golf-outing.

Posted May 2024 by Maureen Haeger, Marketing Communications & Program Manager, STEM Forward.