Still not sure what the STEMarts Apprenticeship program is about? Hear our apprentice alumni share their experiences
“A valuable skill that I learned as an ambassador was cooperation when problem solving under pressure. Whether we needed to factory reset a headset during an event or account for something unexpected we all worked together and got it done and that strengthened my problem solving skills and my ability to work under pressure and especially cooperate under pressure. This was further enhanced by the fact that STEMarts does a great job of creating community and finding everyone’s common ground so you make friends with everyone which is great for cooperation.”
Amelia Martinez, Taos, 2022 Apprentice
“Throughout my apprenticeship, I learned such an array of valuable life, career, and scientific skills. Subsequently, being in a group of like-minded young girls was such an amazing opportunity. Seeing both myself and our future in these capable young girls was a beautiful experience. Being given so many chances to interact with people in a scientific context has also helped me realize my passion for community work. I believe
that science and art are very closely connected. Community connection is my connection between performing in my chosen art: theater, and researching my passion: science.”
Megan Odom, Santa Fe, Apprentice 2022
“The apprenticeship program exposed me to various STEM opportunities and possible career paths that I would have otherwise never gotten the chance to experience. I found the hands-on experiences the most valuable. More specifically, the STEMarts Bootcamp at the HIVE, where I got to spend my time building meaningful connections
with amazing young women and participating in incredible learning opportunities. More specifically, the seminar involving the Oculus headset opened me to a whole new world of interests, which include video development, coding, and humanitarian aid. I remember another moment in particular during the Space Bear workshop where the room was full of laughter and eager children. I watched tentatively as they each rotated knobs on the telescope to get a clearer view of the clear and green tardigrades that moved about in the solution on the slide. Then after seeing such a small foreign animal, they bombarded me with questions and observations. I remember taking a moment
to step-back and feeling the happiness in the room and realizing how much STEM and art has to offer.”
Dominique Vigil, Taos Pueblo Education and Training Division 2022 Apprentice
“I absolutely love and enjoy working for STEMarts Labs. It has been such a wonderful experience. While working, I have met so many great and intelligent people from all over the world and have learned a wide variety of skills that could be applied to many other jobs or even just in life as well. I have been able to greatly improve my communication and social skills as well as my time management and creative thinking skills. On top of acquiring and improving different skill sets, I have been able to learn so much about outer space specifically, but also information about a wide range of areas of science. Areas such as particle physics, climatology, and even some philosophy. I even was able to learn about space law and different frameworks for space exploration.”
Shaylee Mirabal, Taos Pueblo Education and Training Division 2023 Apprentice
“My time working with STEMarts Lab has been unlike any other experience I have ever had.I never thought that I would learn about scientific topics such as astrophysics, biology, and space law like I have with the group of apprentices. I am grateful that a group like STEMarts lab exists within the Taos community. I recognize many community youth members that are thinking about what they want to do career wise or looking for something to do that meets the criteria of what they are interested in. I am lucky to be a part of such an amazing group of young women that are, like me, striving to be the best version of themselves as they can be. When I started with STEMarts, I was pretty set about becoming a writer, and while it still stands true that I have a big passion for writing, I also found a passion for teaching. I have made many connections by working with instructors and professionals that specialize in their field.
In another job I picked up after some time with STEMarts Labs, I am able to put together lesson plans for first year students. This inspired me to teach others with the knowledge I have from prior experiences. In more recent experiences, I am working with some faculty from UNM (University of New Mexico) Taos to put on a presentation for New Student Orientation. I am extremely excited to use the skills I learned from working with STEMarts and put them towards students whose place I was in not too long ago. I understand how difficult and scary it can be to go to college, especially if you do not know anyone, however, I have a drive to inspire others like Agnes and the apprentices have inspired me.”
Alyson Martinez, Taos Pueblo Education and Training Division, 2022-23