Texas Southmost College, Wed., March, 20th — In celebration of Women’s History Month in March, Texas Southmost College further honored women by organizing a Women in STEM Discussion Panel on Wednesday at the SET-B Auditorium.
The panel, organized by TSC Physics instructor Martha Casquete and moderated by TSC Math instructor Brittney Gillespie-Porter as a part of the month-long Women in STEM event, consisted of three women whose personal goals and subsequent educational pathways led them into the STEM field: Dr. Liliana Rivera Sandoval, Dr. Roxana Jimenez, and Diana Orozco.
The three women answered a series of questions to the benefit of their experiences, insights, struggles and triumphs to the gathered audience.
Dr. Rivera Sandoval, an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at UTRGV, shared some of her knowledge regarding the importance of being both a self-motivated and resourceful individual in a highly competitive field inherent with STEM-related careers.
“Be proactive because it’s going to open a lot of doors in your life. Today, we have so much knowledge in our hands because of the internet, so do your own research and educate yourself. You can develop a crucial skill of being able to find ways to solve problems on your own, which is highly appreciated in academia, in STEM industries, and so on,” she said, adding that such a proactive mindset is a must in highly competitive STEM fields.
Dr. Jimenez, a TSC Mathematics instructor, shared a fairly recent experience of her own to illustrate the importance of thinking ahead and keeping pace with technological developments to further diversify one’s set of skills.
“When I was a teaching in high school, I had pushed for the adoption of online books, which was rejected. As this was going on, I created my own Google Classroom and was sending my students their work through it, even though a majority of my co-workers thought it was a strange choice. And then Covid hit, and I found myself with a mastery of a skill that was suddenly in demand everywhere.”
Ms. Orozco, who currently works as a Research Analyst for TSC’s Department of Institutional Effectiveness and Educational Technologies, explained that no matter how rough things may get, one must never give up.
“I had many obstacles to overcome throughout my education. When I first enrolled in college, my parents were migrant workers, and I could only attend in the Spring semesters because I would have to help them out for several months at a time. Over time, I also developed illnesses which required several surgeries, but I never let the setbacks stop me. I kept on going, and I’m going to keep on going as I pursue my graduate degree.
Orozco’s hope is that by sharing her own experiences, she can show students that it is possible to overcome obstacles and find success, and she feels that discussion panels such as this are an effective way to put a human face to those success stories.
“In my personal experience, the importance of these in-person discussion panels is to find a role model or mentors who you can relate to and who will inspire you to move forward. A role model can be found anywhere, whether in school, the workplace, or even at home. Knowing that someone else has already walked your path and made it through can be a motivational milestone to look forward to.”
