Students Find Rewards as Chief Science Officers

The Rewards of Increasing Awareness of Student Opportunities

My name is Eli Lopez and I am a junior at Mountain Ridge High School. I was recently elected into the Chief Science Officer (CSO) program and I am excited about being a part of what I believe is a revolutionary idea. The Chief Science Officer program is essentially a program with the aim of integrating STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) into school curriculum. This program is innovative because it allows student representatives to offer their perspective on an issue, which further enables students to directly communicate with many of the officials that are in charge of integrating STEM into schools. This builds communication where it is needed the most: between the lawmakers who are mandating policy, and the students who are directly affected by it. One issue that caught my attention was when Arizona Representative Heather Carter was taking about how one of the biggest concerns for parents was affording to send their kids to college with the obvious barrier being the increasing price of collegiate education.

I think that the solution to this issue is the same as what the fundamental focus of the CSO program should be: provide students with a number of opportunities and ensure that they are aware of them.  For example, the aforementioned issue regarding the price of college could be solved by making students aware of financial aid options. In my experience, scholarship opportunities are plentiful in this day and age, but few students take advantage of these opportunities because they just aren't aware that they exist.

As for the CSO program, our main focus for these next few years should be to raise awareness of STEM opportunities in schools, integrate a more STEM-rich curriculum in the classroom, and provide a wide range of opportunities for students in STEM classes and related clubs for them to be successful.

 In conclusion, I think the meeting was very productive due to the fact that we, the students, were able to voice our opinions and experiences on the subject of STEM and its place in our schools today and the future of this organization as well.

By Eli Lopez a student and Chief Science Officer at Mountain Ridge High School in Glendale, AZ.

 

The Importance of STEM Awareness

Hello, I am Emma Eddy, I am a senior at Mountain Ridge High School and I was recently elected as  the Chief Science Officer (CSO).

I hadn't heard of this program before but from this workshop I learned what this program is really about. Our school has a lot of STEM opportunities but not a lot of the students are aware of them. I think one of our biggest goals in the program should be opening the doors to more students so they realize that anyone can get involved in STEM careers and STEM classes. The more we raise awareness for these students, the more participation students will have in these classes and the students will be better prepared for the real world applications that STEM provides.

Overall, this was a great introduction into what I believe to be a great program and I am excited to keep moving forward.

By Emma Eddy a senior and Chief Science Officer at Mountain Ridge High School in Glendale, AZ.

(Photographed from left to right: AZ Rep Heather Carter, Eli Lopez, Emma Eddy).