Increasing Representation of Minority Students in STEM Fields Through Multi-Generational Mentoring, Real-World Learning, and GIS Training

Increasing enrollment in and graduation from science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) majors in universities is key to fostering a healthy economy and advancing global competitiveness. However, there is a lack of representation of minority students in STEM fields. The US’s changing demographics place young people of color at the vanguard of the next generation. While programs have been implemented to reduce gender and racial disparities in STEM programs and careers in the US, the effectiveness of youth mentoring programs is an area of ongoing inquiry. We implemented a year-long youth mentoring program for middle and high school students from a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood in Tucson, AZ. Younger students were mentored by near peers in learning geospatial analysis techniques to assess the quality of neighborhood parks. The project included four visits to the university campus, and outcomes were evaluated using student surveys and qualitative responses. Our results show that a youth mentoring program can potentially help increase minority interest in STEM and higher education. We offer lessons to improve the effectiveness of youth mentoring programs, and we recommend that universities—particularly those designated as minority-serving institutions—institutionalize programs that provide mentoring to minority K-12 students.