IEEE Volunteers are dedicated to a variety of engineering or humanitarian initiatives. Many participate in outreach programs specifically aimed at supporting STEM initiatives for pre-university students. Laura Marcela Sabogal Guerrero is a 2023 STEM Champion dedicated to STEM outreach in Colombia (R9). She recently shared some of her perspectives on her outreach efforts to hopefully inspire others who are considering STEM outreach work themselves.
“My primary motivation for engaging in STEM activities lies in my deep-seated belief in the importance of involving more women and high school students in these fields,” Sabogal Guerrero stated when asked about her motivation to get involved in STEM outreach.” As a child, I would have greatly appreciated having access to these engagement opportunities, which could have eased the process of discovering my own passion and career path. Additionally, I found it incredibly advantageous that my EDS student chapter made it easy to request tools and resources for conducting hands-on practical activities with students.”
Sabogal Guerrero also shared that getting participant feedback is an important part of her outreach work as it helps measure her programs’ successes.
“Understanding participant feedback is of great significance to us,” she stated. “We conducted interventions in which students conveyed that engaging with the personality type questionnaire questions facilitated a deeper level of self-awareness. Additionally, it encouraged them to acknowledge the importance of harnessing their strengths and placing more focus on them, even as they recognized the need to address and improve upon their weaknesses.”
When asked what program she was most proud of, Sabogal Guerrero replied that it was an electronics workshop that she also used as an opportunity to help students map out their careers.
“The goal was to help the students gain greater clarity about what makes them happy and encourage them to contemplate their educational aspirations,” she stated. “This initiative enabled them to chart a course of action for their futures.”
Sabogal Guerrero also shared what that she’s faced the challenge of capturing older students attention when it comes to STEM but has been successful in overcoming it.
“It requires patience and a keen focus on those students who may initially be disinterested in the activity,” she said, “But through attentive engagement, I’ve been able to draw them into it.”
When asked what the most rewarding aspect of STEM activities is, Sabogal Guerrero replied that it is the opportunity to be a part of students making more informed and supported decisions in choosing to pursue careers in STEM.
You can learn more about Sabogal Guerrero here.