VCU’s new STEM Career Expo stems from students taking the lead
November 6, 2023
VCU’s new STEM Career Expo stems from students taking the lead
Event pulls together campus resources, offers networking opportunities and spotlights diversity.
Story excerpt featuring School of Education doctoral student:
Event organizer Brandi Daniels, an adjunct professor in the VCU Honors College and counselor with the Division for Academic Success, said the idea grew out of student interest in bringing together the many programs and experts at VCU that can spur exploration of science, technology, engineering and math. In fall 2022, she was teaching a Women of Color Leadership Development class in which students were challenged to devise a leadership initiative in an area of interest.
“STEM was one of those areas, and the four-member team came up with an idea to have a STEM conference at VCU, because they felt like they needed support in finding everything in one place,” said Daniels, who secured funding for the expo from the VCU Foundation. “Even with all the rich resources that VCU has, sometimes students don’t know where to look or where to turn in finding a place to start.”
For Daniels, there’s a personal connection to the initiative. Growing up in Richmond, she was a student at Carver Elementary School and benefited from the Carver Promise program, which provided mentoring and introduction both to STEM and higher education.
“Being exposed to STEM enrichment lessons at Carver helped fuel my love and dedication to the education field,” said Daniels, who is pursuing a doctorate at the VCU School of Education.