Ray Martinez-Rodriguez

Ray Martinez-Rodriguez

Throughout my undergrad, I had the opportunity to work for an organization called Visions of Science as an educational outreach facilitator. Visions of Science (VoS) provides free Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education to youth from marginalized communities across the GTA. As someone who grew up in the marginalized community of Flemingdon Park I understand the need for education outreach and wish I had access to such a program growing up. I never knew I wanted to pursue a career in STEM until late high-school, I thought a career in STEM wasn't for me because I rarely encountered professionals in the field who looked and sounded like me. Programs like VoS are extremely vital in introducing marginalized youth to role models that they can identify with and act as an inspiration for them to pursue a career in STEM.

Representation of minorities in STEM is something that has come a long way but there is still a lot more work that needs to be done. As your NUS first year equity coordinator, I would work together with admissions committees and faculty to see how we can better serve those populations which have historically been oppressed and under served.  I would also talk with local organizations and schools to see if we as a student body could host workshops that focus on STEM educational outreach for marginalized youth across the GTA.

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Click the next slide to see Ray's video speech!