Where Does Your Journey STEM From?

Olivia Gonzalez is an economist at the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in the Office of Strategic Management and Enterprise Integrity, where she conducts regulatory economic analysis, supports the evaluation of SBA programs, and leverages data and evidence as strategic assets to drive decisions. She co-leads the SBA’s Evidence and Evaluation Community of Practice which is intended to prom...

Celena Michaud is an Electrical Engineer at Avalanche Energy, a nuclear fusion startup developing a compact fusion device capable of providing clean, renewable energy for use in distributed and remote systems such as underwater vehicles and satellites. Her work includes designing experimental hardware, instrumentation, and data acquisition systems to support fusion research and experiments.

Dr. Daisy Rosas Vargas identifies as first generation indigenous (Mexica) and Latine born in what is called the United States. She is a chemist, science communicator, and educator who enjoys sharing the wonders of chemistry and science with the future generation. She used her voice to represent and advocate for the underrepresented students in the college classroom, as a former professor at a smal...

Daryl is a seasoned product lead dedicated to simplifying complex systems and creating seamless online-to-offline experiences. Her career across 3 countries is rooted in banking and spanned sustainable energy and tech at Tesla and Twitter. She is now in healthcare after co-founding a chat-based health consultation service, which won a global award for its impact and creativity on healthcare access...

Talis has spent the last 20 years co-founding and growing social enterprises focused in entrepreneurship education, youth leadership, and tech: FeelGood, Latiendo por Mexico, and Crew for All. She currently serves as an Associate Director at the ideaHUB in Dalhousie University, a deep-tech incubator committed to supporting founders to build physical products for a healthier world while becoming mi...

Danielle Cantrell-Sikstrom is the global gaming content strategist at Intel. In this role, she develops and executes the strategy for video and retail gaming content for Intel Core processors and Intel Arc graphics. In her free time, she builds PCs, plays and streams video games, and enjoys live music.

Kayla Bassett (she/her/hers) is the Head of Product at Ensis, a company developing AI-powered proposal software for responding to government RFPs, RFIs, and more. Prior to Ensis, she was a Director of Product Management by way of their acquisition of Limbix. Prior to her career in tech, Kayla was a Marine Corps intelligence officer and served in a variety of posts around the world. She co-founded...

Sohnee Ahmed is a board-certified genetic counselor and variant analyst involved in genetic analysis and report writing for whole genome sequencing, whole exome sequencing, and panel tests. She graduated from the University of Toronto with an Honours Bachelor of Science, specializing in Genetics & Biotechnology with a minor in Anthropology. She then attended Wayne State University to achieve a...

Lainie Mataras is the Senior Director of the Consultant Architecture and Design Group at Planar, a global leader in visualization technology. In this role, Mataras leverages her extensive professional network to foster relationships with industry partners and further develop the company’s consultant and architecture and design programs.

Jason Garbarino is an experienced nurse educator, clinician, and leader whose 16-year career in nursing spans across various speciality areas. Jason remains clinically active within primary care nursing, overseeing patient Annual Wellness Visits while teaching undergraduate and graduate nursing students. He taught nursing full-time for 11 years as a Clinical Associate Professor at the University o...

Dr. Divan is the founder of Trulitica, a professional career services company that focuses on strategy, communication, and career development for scientists in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry. He holds a Ph. D. In Medical Sciences from Texas A&M University and completed his postdoctoral studies in microbiology and medicinal chemistry at the University of North Dakota.

Samuel Oluwakorede Oyefusi is a Mechanical Engineering student at Pan Atlantic University, Ex-president of the Living Green Club, the co-Founder of Ridebuddy and Global Ambassador of Thierworld. He has a passion for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which drives his focus on Energy Transition and Robotics innovation, alongside advocacy for quality education.

Shaundra Toy is currently working as a Solution Engineer for Clari, a company working with AI in the Sales Process. Toy is PMP certified, double certified in change management, holds a certificate in UX Research, a certificate in Human Centered Strategy, has mentored new project managers, taught many advanced seminars for the Project Management Institute (PMI) and recently finished a minor in User...

Driven by a blend of formal education in accounting, a thriving career in technology for over 22 years, and a profound passion for art, Chaya has embraced every facet of her life with a growth mindset. Living with ADHD has been her greatest teacher, guiding her through triumphs and trials and fostering personal growth at every turn. From navigating the complexities of distraction to discovering th...

Etienne Palos hass a Ph. D. in Theoretical & Computational Chemistry, working in the group of Prof. Francesco Paesani at the University of California, San Diego. His work is founded on a data-driven approach for molecular simulation, and encompasses method development, implementation, and making conceptual connections between electronic structure theory and many-body representations of molecul...

Brianna Jepsen is pursuing a PhD in Chemistry at Indiana University, focusing on Materials and Organic Chemistry. Her current research focuses on developing an alternative cancer treatment by synthesizing a new photosensitizer, a molecule that can absorb light and be used in photochemical reactions, to be used in photodynamic therapy, where light is shined on a photosensitizer to destroy tumor cel...

Emmaleah Jones is a recent graduate from Northeastern University's Master's program in Urban Informatics-- a blend of data science and urban planning. Her background is in urban planning, social science, and resilience studies. In 2022 she was a Fulbright researcher in Chile, where she worked with an interdisciplinary team at CIGIDEN (the Research Center for Integrated Disaster Risk Management) an...

Dr. Marilú Pérez García is a first-generation college graduate. She started her academic career at the College of Southern Idaho, then transferred to Idaho State University to complete her bachelor’s degree in chemistry. After completing her doctorate in 2014, focusing on analytical and computational chemistry, Dr. Perez stayed in Ames for a post-doc position in the Critical Materials Innovation H...

Emma Peterman is an NSF Graduate Research Fellow in the Galloway Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her current research is focused on engineering genetic circuits to perform more reliably in mammalian cells for applications like cellular therapies.

Sophia is a 1st year PhD student in Biochemistry at Stanford University, where she is currently rotating in labs. In her spare time, you can find Sophia climbing at the local rock gym or enjoying a mug of herbal tea.

Noah Lemke was an NSF Graduate Fellow and has a PhD in the Department of Entomology at Texas A&M University. He researched the reproductive behavioral ecology of the black soldier fly, a species of insect being mass-reared by companies around the world to convert agricultural residuals into feed for livestock and fertilizer for crops. His research aims to understand how evolutionary processes...

Vanshika Gupta is currently a PhD student in the Dick lab at Purdue University. In 2023 she became an NSF graduate student fellow and is now working towards finishing her dissertation work with Dr. Dick regarding real-time pharmacokinetic analysis in single cells.

Amal Dadi is a biologist with broad experience in basic science research, clinical testing, and environmental education and advocacy. She currently works as a scientist at Q2 Solutions, where she conducts laboratory work supporting clinical trials.

Andrea is an Environmental Engineering Ph. D. candidate in Dr. Ashok Gadgil's Lab at the University of California, Berkeley. As part of Gadgil's Lab, Andrea works on the design of technologies for the removal of chromium in groundwater and hopes to extend these technologies for the removal of other contaminants, such as uranium, found in groundwater.

Valerie started her career as a researcher in the US after obtaining a PhD in biological and biomedical sciences from University of Bordeaux. Valerie joined Microsoft 3.5 years ago, is now Director of corporate business development at Microsoft, leading strategic partnerships in healthcare and life sciences.