Members

STEM Ambassadors

	Gustavo Alvarez Electrical Engineering Class of 2024 Prep North Forest Texas Extracurricular Activities: SOLES, Tufts Robotics Internship/Research Experience: Research Assistant at Princeton Plasma Physics Lab, Software Engineering Intern at Rice, Hardware Intern at Rice What I want students to get out of our visits: I hope that students can feel a lot more confident about themselves when thinking about pursuing STEM.
	Cristina Arellano Chiroque Human Factors Engineering Class of 2023 Tuscarora High School Virginia Extracurricular Activities: Christians on Campus member // COE Elohim Videographer/Bible Study Member // LC Peer Leader Internship/Research Experience: Having worked in a fellowship under a branch of Red Ventures last summer and a STEM camp this summer, I feel that the skills I have obtained have been tremendously fruitful. I feel so very grateful to have met the individuals I have. Why did you choose to be a STEM Ambassador? Just as much as I believe technology is never neutral and is always shaping our social fabric, I believe that embracing this tool of the future will prove to be a feat. I can see us rebuilding and refurnishing both the technological and social construct we live in by closing the distance between action and impact. As an aspiring web designer/consultant, I find that seizing this opportunity is what motivates me. Similarly, I believe that this effort is not done in the hands on one individual but rather a generational effort. I believe that by being a STEM Ambassador, I will be able to aid in this pursuit by helping others grow at their pace.
	Dennis Bazan Tello Civil Engineering Class of 2024 Ooltewah High School Tennessee Extracurricular Activities: Questbridge Chapter, Society Of Latinx Engineers and Scientists (SOLES), Tufts InterVarsity, Association of Latin American Students (ALAS) Internship/Research Experience: BDBS Research Intern at Tufts Medical Center (Dr. Wallingford's Lab); Kaplan Lab; MLSC Summer Intern at WPI Biophysics Lab Why did you choose to be a STEM Ambassador? I believe everyone has their own story to tell; I always believed that every story could be inspiring for someone. Therefore, I want to share my passion for engineering and personal experiences with underrepresented and first-generation students like myself. I want to inspire them to not be afraid to pursue their interests in STEM because no matter the background one comes from or their life circumstances, anyone with the willingness to serve others and improve their talent can be successful in the field.
	Elli Diaz Biomedical Engineering Class of 2022 The Branson School California Extracurricular Activities: Society of Latinx Engineers and Scientists (SOLES), Latino Center Peer Leader Internship/Research Experience: Oudin Lab, Stanford Cardiovascular Institute Research Fellow Why Did You Choose to Become a STEM Ambassador? In school, before meeting my math camp professor, I never really had someone I could look up to. For many students, particularly students of color, they go through school having no one in their immediate school environment that allows them to see themselves doing the unimaginable. I am a STEM Ambassador because I want to be that person that I, and countless others didn't have in school, so we can diversify the fields that minority groups have been steered away from, like science and engineering.
	Hamida Giwa Biomedical Engineering Class of 2024 Wachusett Regional High School Massachusetts Extracurricular Activities: Tufts Muslim Student Association (MSA), Resident Assistant, National Society of Black Engineers Internship/Research Experience: BDBS Research Intern at Tufts Medical Center (Dr. Wallingford's Lab); Kaplan Lab; MLSC Summer Intern at WPI Biophysics Lab Why did you choose to be a STEM Ambassador? You might come from an unrepresented background and you might doubt yourself. But have confidence, find your role models and support system! Besides, you don’t have to be a genius to pursue STEM. Of course you need to be able to problem solve, ask the right questions, and be willing to learn, but you don’t need to have some crazy IQ or really high test scores to succeed.
	Bijan Harandi Biology Class of 2023 Newton South High School Massachusetts Extracurricular Activities: Quiz Bowl, Undergraduate Academic Journals, Research Labs Internship/Research Experience: Astrobiology and Epigenetics lab work at several institutions What I want students to get out of our visits: I hope that students understand the importance of STEM's impact on the world and furthermore attain the confidence in themselves to pursue their respective STEM interests, regardless of their background.
	Leslie Jaramillo Martinez Mechanical Engineering Class of 2023 School of Science and Engineering Magnet Texas Extracurricular Activities: Tufts Robotics, Latinx Peer Leader, STOMP Internship/Research Experience: Operations Intern at Abbott Neuromodulation What inspired you to be an engineer? Although my neighborhood wasn’t full of scientists or engineers, it was full of people who greatly inspired me. Their dedication and ambition have fueled my own. To me, engineering is much more than a career choice. It is a way I can help the people who raised me. Through designing and building, I will be able to provide some form of support to the community that has given up so much for me.
	Steph Karam Civil Engineering Class of 2023 The Montfort Academy New York Extracurricular Activities: Roti & Rum Caribbean Dance Team, Africana Center Peer Leader, American Society of Civil Engineers Why did you choose to be a STEM Ambassador? STEM Ambassadors is a program that has impact, it brings the world of STEM to students who would of otherwise thought that they did not belong. For most of my childhood, I was that student. It was not until my sophomore year of high school, when a teacher recommended me for the Cooper Union Summer STEM Academy and the TA of the course was a woman of color currently pursuing a degree in civil engineering at the institution. It was after that experience, that I seriously began to think of engineering as a possible career. I truly believe that this experience was a defining factor in why I am a civil engineering major today and hopefully I can do the same for students of color as a STEM Ambassador.
	Kat Lazar Chemical Engineering Class of 2022 Brookfield Central High School Wisconsin Extracurricular Activities: SWE, Sarabande Dance Ensemble Internship/Research Experience: Medical College of Wisconsin Biochemistry Intern, Chemistry Lab TA Who inspired you to become an engineer? My calculus teacher junior year in high school asked us if anyone wanted to start a SWE club. I had no idea what it was, but I volunteered anyways, went to some outreach programs at local colleges, and realized I love engineering and wanted to study it for the next four years!
	Maximo Mateo Chemical Engineering Class of 2023 School of Science and Engineering Magnet Texas Extracurricular Activities: AlChem, Tufts Tutoring Internship/Research Experience: Air Quality Monitor Design UTD/UNT Why did you choose to become a STEM Ambassador? I want to help other first-generation student to become excellent scientists, researchers, and engineers. Growing up, I didn’t see many engineers that looked like me. I want to inspire other students that are not well represented in STEM fields to contribute to the scientific community! As an ambassador, I want to help student think outside of the box through many hands-on projects.
	David Michel Civil Engineering Class of 2024 Santee Education Complex California Extracurricular Activities: Society of Latinx Engineers and Scientists, First-Generation Collective, United for Immigrant Justice, Association of Latin American Students Internship/Research Experience: Visiting and Early Research Scholars Experience (Tufts' Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning Department) What inspired you to pursue STEM?: Growing up in South Central Los Angeles, I was constantly amazed by the skyscrapers, freeways and infrastructure that make up downtown Los Angeles. At the same time, however, I was frustrated by how different these were for low-income communities compared to more affluent areas. This has invoked a drive to hopefully one day be able to transform the lives of people through the engineering of the built environment that values and respects the needs of those communities that are often left unheard like my own.
	Fatimah Mumuney Biomedical Engineering Class of 2024 New Horizons College Niger State, Nigeria Extracurricular Activities: Research Chair BMES, Kaplan Research Lab, MSA member, SWE member Internship/Research Experience: Tissue Engineering Research Assistant at Kaplan Lab Why did you choose to become a STEM Ambassador? I had heard it all before. "You got this!", "You can achieve anything you set your mind to!'", "Nothing is impossible! and the likes of other popular motivational phrases. It was not until I met another black Muslim woman, who had achieved great feats in the world of STEM, that these words of ‘empowerment’ really began to sink in. She had come to give a presentation back in my local high school in Nigeria, where she talked us through her journey into the STEM field. That was the eye-opening moment for me. If this young lady, with the same skin shade, same beliefs, and same background as me, could do it, then what excuse did I have for not doing the same? It was with this newfound determination that I began to apply to colleges in the United States with the hope of studying engineering. What seemed like such a faraway dream is now a reality in the making. I want to be, to another person, as this lady was to me. If there is a chance that someone might feel empowered by my experiences and learnings into the world of STEM, then I will more than gladly grab on to that opportunity.
	Britnie Nguyen Engineering Psychology Class of 2023 South High Community School Massachusetts Extracurricular Activities: Asian American Center Peer Leader, Chinese Students Association, Jumbo Talk, Vietnamese Students Club Internship/Research Experience: Research in Levin Lab What I want students to get out of our visits: A new sense of curiosity and another perspective on topics! STEM is highly interdisciplinary - while the field may seem black-and-white on paper sometimes, there are many different ways to attack a single problem.
	Huyen Pham Electrical Engineering Class of 2022 Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted Vietnam Extracurricular Activities: Tufts Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Vietnamese Students Club, Leonard Carmichael Society Internship/Research Experience: Hardware Engineering Intern at Humatics, Software Engineering Intern at FPT Software; Software Engineering internship in Vietnam Why Did You Choose to Become a STEM Ambassador? I want to inspire people who share my background as a woman and international student without prior involvement in STEM to pursue their interests and strengths, communicate my passion with school children, and bring what STEM does beyond the classroom into one.
	Wanda Schlumpf Biology & Biotechnology Class of 2024 Mid-Pacific Institute Hawaii Extracurricular Activities: Choir, Tufts 1+4, French Club, Hawaii Club Internship/Research Experience: Global Citizen Year (Teach for India), National Academy of Future Physicians & Medical Scientists, Congress of Future Science & Technology Leaders Why did you choose to become a STEM Ambassador? Students should choose STEM because it encompasses every aspect of our lives. Behind every new product or innovation, there is a team of scientists and engineers making it possible; there is a true impact on society. Furthermore, there are so many different, exciting paths one could follow within STEM that the opportunities are seemingly endless.
	Bryan Valdivia Biochemistry Class of 2022 South San Antonio High School Texas Extracurricular Activities: UIJ, Weightlifting, ALAS, VSC, FIRST Center Peer Leader, Researcher Internship/Research Experience: Research on Nanoparticle synthesis and analysis of them using lasers What I want students to get out of our visits: I hope to ignite student's brains to really show them how amazing science is and how the field can be open for them despite the lack of representation.