Skip to main content

College of Engineering | February 23, 2022

Three Engineering Students Named Scholars at Great Minds in STEM Conference

line
Three Engineering Students Named Scholars at Great Minds in STEM Conference

 

As the world celebrates the contributions of women during Women’s History Month in March 2022, The University of Texas at El Paso College of Engineering recognizes its efforts as a national leader in shaping the future of higher education with an introduction to a trio of female students who collected significant accolades during the fall semester and who continue to work to impact broader student success.

Montserrat Molina and Grecia Navarrete, senior computer science majors, along with Nayeli Ontiveros, a senior mechanical engineering major, were presented with notable awards during the 33rd Annual Great Minds in STEM (GMiS) Conference, a premier venue where students and professionals from underserved communities connect with the companies, government agencies and higher education institutions looking to recruit diverse technical talent.

The event, which was held virtually in October 2021, housed sessions hosted by the UTEP-based Computing Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (CAHSI), a consortium of more than 70 institutions and organizations from the public and private sector that is at the forefront of a national effort to increase the number of Hispanic students who participate in computing.

Molina and Navarrete were named CAHSI Student Scholars during the conference, while Ontiveros was recognized as a GMiS Scholar. The awards were presented to a small, select percentage of the conference’s 400 participating students and illustrate UTEP’s commitment to providing students with opportunities to advance discovery through research and scholarship.

“We are honored to recognize these exceptional students who are future leaders in STEM fields,” said Andrea Tirres, CAHSI deputy director. “This is a clear example of how CAHSI and UTEP are leading the way in building a modern workforce that is inclusive and undeniably capable.”

Read more about each student below:

Molina

Are you an El Paso native? What high school did you attend?

I was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. I attended Loretto Academy and graduated in 2018.

 

How has UTEP helped you along your academic journey?

UTEP has provided the support, resources and encouragement to get involved on campus activities. UTEP offers many different student organizations which I became involved in. It was through becoming involved in these student organizations, such as MAES (Latinos in Science and Engineering) and SHPE (Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers) that I was able to get my first software engineering internship with Uber Technologies. UTEP’s Office of Student Fellowships and Awards has also supported me throughout my career, preparing me to apply to prestigious scholarships and helping me along the process for the new Hawkins Scholarship, which I was honored to win. UTEP’s excellent computer science program along with its amazing faculty and staff have also supported me throughout my career by helping me get involved in research, STEM conferences, student employment and more, all of which have helped me excel in my career.

 

In which volunteer activities were you involved at UTEP and in the community?

I have been involved in numerous volunteer activities with UTEP and in the community. In my first years at UTEP, I became an active member and eventually an officer of the student organization MAES/SHPE, where I was able to organize workshops aimed at preparing student to succeed in their respective STEM fields. I have also been involved with ACM-W WICS (The Association of Computer Machinery - Women in Computer Science) where I had the opportunity to volunteer in organizing the Empowering the Borderland Summit that took place in the spring of 2019. I also volunteered to mentor Hispanic fifth-grade girls at a local elementary school. Empowering them to pursue STEM through NCWIT AspireIT Outreach Program’s “Code Chica” after-school club. This was an amazing experience for me which eventually led me to volunteer as a Software Engineer Club Mentor for another local elementary school’s FIRST LEGO League Robotics Club where I was able to mentor Hispanic fifth-graders in developing solutions to real problems in our city, winning second place at the Regional FLL City Shaper Challenge.

 

What scholarships have you earned at UTEP?

At UTEP, I have earned the Andalusite Scholarship and the Hawkins Scholarship.

 

In what research have you participated?

I was selected to participate in CAHSI’s inaugural vREU (virtual Research Experience for Undergraduates) program alongside a research professor and a graduate student involved in the analysis of two software repositories to predict how each software has evolved over a span of three years by extracting software quality data using data mining and machine learning algorithms.

 

What internships have you experienced?

I have had three software engineering internships, all at Uber Technologies, and will have a fourth one with them this upcoming summer.

 

What are your future academic and professional plans?

My future academic and professional plans include obtaining a master’s degree in software engineering, after that, I would like to go into industry to gain experience as a software engineer. In the future, I would love to be to help minority serving schools to empower students to pursue STEM field careers. I would also love to use my passion for technology to develop solutions to modern problems in our community.

 

What are your feelings on being named a scholar during the GMiS/CAHSI event?

I am honored and excited to be a CAHSI Student Scholar because this will give me the opportunity to develop a plan along with my fellow student scholars to help more minority students succeed in STEM fields. This has also empowered me to continue to work towards that goal of having more diversity in the field, and I know that with CAHSI’s support we will be able to make an impact in the Hispanic community.

Molina

Are you an El Paso native? What high school did you attend?

I was born in El Paso but I moved to Houston when I was 3 and came back to El Paso for college. I went to Seven Lakes High School, a school in Katy, Texas.

 

How has UTEP helped you along your academic journey?

Being involved on campus has opened so many doors for me and UTEP has given me access to every networking opportunity possible. I have built strong relationships with faculty who are very willing to go out of their way for students. Dr. Abed, Dr. Maldonado, Dr. Love, and Dr. Chessa have been my biggest support system and have pushed me to continue to excel in my engineering career. I wouldn’t have my research position or internship with Lockheed Martin if it wasn’t for the opportunities UTEP has given me by being involved and learning skills that are necessary for the workforce.

 

In which volunteer activities were you involved at UTEP and in the community?

I volunteer at the El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank as well as food drives. I have also volunteered at hospitals where I would sing to the elderly and passed out toys to children with cancer. I have volunteered in project MOVE (Miner Opportunities for Volunteer Experiences) several times, as well.

 

What scholarships have you earned at UTEP?

I have received the GMiS Scholarship four times, for three of those scholarships my sponsor was Chevron and for one of them it was the Leticia S. Montiel Memorial Scholarship. I also earned the NACME scholarship grant at UTEP.

 

In what research have you participated?

I am currently doing research with The Center for Space Exploration and Technology Research (cSETR) where I work with the Small Satellite Propulsion System team.

 

What internships have you experienced?

I have completed two internships with Lockheed Martin and I will be completing my third internship next summer. For my first internship, I was a project engineer where I created a code using Python to find critical errors in a file which saved the company about $384,000 a year and decreased labor time from 4 hours to 10 minutes a day. For my second internship, I worked as a system engineer verifying critical information into a Component Mapping Tool that gave access to information about the F-35 variants including LCN numbers, material type and fastener count. I also supported the digital transformation for the Reliability and Maintainability F-35 program.

 

What are your future academic and professional plans?

I want to work for a company and move up the corporate ladder. Right now, my goal is to get through my Lockheed Martin internship and hopefully get a job offer after graduation. Once I have worked for a few years, I do want to go back to school to get my MBA.

 

What are your feelings on being named a scholar during the GMiS/CAHSI event?

I am honored to be a recipient of this prestigious scholarship. This is my fourth year getting the GMiS scholarship and I am grateful to have the opportunity to further my education without the financial burdens. I want to thank my sponsor Chevron for believing in me and allowing me to focus on my studies while having the freedom to be involved in organizations. I am very honored to be the only student at UTEP to receive the Chevron Scholarship this year.





MEDIA CONTACT
College of Engineering Communications
CoEN_News@utep.edu

[Engineering News Archive]