Olivia Baptiste has been drawn to science since elementary school. “I loved presenting at the science fairs,” she says. That interest has blossomed into focused studies in biology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. While the field has always been a favorite of hers, the biology course she took in her first year cemented her interest. Now in her third year at UBC, she is preparing for the MCAT and pursuing her goal of becoming a physician someday.

Enlisting her decades-long research skills, Dr. Mary Jo Ondrechen is all in for the fight to understand — and ultimately defeat — the coronavirus. Dr. Ondrechen and her team are researching the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, at her laboratory at Northeastern University in Boston, where she is a professor of chemistry and chemical biology and principal investigator of the Computational Biology Research Group.

When JohnDavid Lancaster was in fifth grade, his mother was laid off because she didn’t have a college degree. But she unmistakably modeled the value of education when she went back to school full time to earn her degree in nursing while working a full-time job and a part-time job and taking care of Lancaster and his sister. By the time he was in ninth grade, his mom had completed her degree and taught her children a powerful lesson about tenacity. Her experience also showed Lancaster how important a degree would be to get the kind of job he wanted. 

For the past three years Liam Puls was part of a small STEM school: the Oklahoma School of Innovation and Experiential Learning, in Bixby. He was in the school’s first class, with a cohort of only 15. Now, it has students from seventh to 11th grade. “We were able to do things that regular students don’t get to do, like travel to Peru and Boston, and visit companies like SpaceX and Boston Dynamics,” he says. “Amazing field trips!”

You did it! You made it to college and are ready to start making the most of everything your campus has to offer. As a Native student, your identity is part of who you are, and something you want to celebrate and explore with other likeminded students. One way to do that is to join or start an AISES College Chapter. Here’s how to start a chapter at your school.

The countdown is on. It’s almost time for the AISES National Conference, an annual highlight for thousands of Indigenous professionals throughout North America and beyond. The conference will be making its virtual debut on a 100 percent online platform, giving participants new ways to make the most of three action-packed days. This year’s all-virtual format will include opening and closing ceremonies, a keynote address, a talking circle, expert-led topical sessions, research presentations, mixers, and Indian Country’s largest College and Career Fair. 

The AISES National Conference is known for breaking new ground every year, and 2020 will be no exception. This year’s event is 100 percent virtual and has the potential to bring together more STEM participants than ever before. 

Whew! You’ve just finished another interview, and you’re hoping to hear back soon. You constantly check your email and phone, but nothing comes through. As the days go by and you don’t hear anything, you wonder what your status is. You contact the company. If you’re lucky, you hear back right away. If not, you’re just left wondering. So what can you do when you aren’t hearing back from prospective employers? 

If you’re like most students, you’re not exactly looking forward to the high stakes college application process. How do you write the perfect essay? How do you share with reviewers everything you want them to know about you? Will sharing your Native heritage help make your application stand out? Here are some tips for telling your Native story on a college application.

Stories are powerful and provide a sense of culture, history, and personal identity. A person’s story is a compilation of life’s journey, packed with experiences and lessons learned along the way. A few Intel employees wanted to share their stories through open letters to their younger selves, offering advice and encouragement.

Dear Georgia,