, computerand software engineering students engaged in an S-STEM program at a predominantly white publicinstitution in the Midwest. S-STEM is a federally funded program aimed at diversifying STEM fields byincreasing the enrollment and persistence of low-income students. Using phenomenology allowed formeaning making and exploration of both religious and engineering experiences (Moustakas, 1994).The present study focused on the experiences of Theresa, a traditionally aged, Asian American (SoutheastAsian) computer engineering student who participated in three in-depth, semi-structured interviews abouther engineering identity experiences. From all of the participants of the larger study, we chose to go ingreater depth with Theresa because her engineering
for the retention of first-year students [10]. A report entitled“STEM Students & Their Sense of Belonging: S-STEM Programs’ Practices & EmpiricallyBased Recommendations” identifies cohort experiences as an important factor in academicintegration and success [9]. Offering retention programs is valuable, but if students do not attendor participate, they will not receive the maximum benefits that these programs can provide.Students are more likely to participate in retention programs if they feel a sense of communitywithin the institution [9]. Furthermore, female engineering students, who have been found tohighly value the sense of connectedness, benefit from the positive impact of a supportivecommunity, enhancing their resilience. Thus
, so this indicates early success towardinstitutional change.Perhaps most importantly, our team developed a shared set of values that allows us to structure our worktogether. We enjoy working together and plan to build on our first year to continue to dismantle systemicbias in higher education using undergraduate research to support student identity formation and graduatepathways.AcknowledgementsSpecial thanks to the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for funding our project team Grant #G-2021-17114, andthe National Science Foundation for the S-STEM Research Hub accelerator grant #A184152. We alsowish to thank the members of our advisory board for thoughtful ideas and discussions during the course ofthis project. Dr. Julie Vernon, Dr. Adetoun Yeaman
Attitudes and Perceptions of Mechanical Engineering S-STEM Scholars,” Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, vol. 143, n.o 12, p. 121006, dic. 2021, doi: 10.1115/1.4051715.[13] I. Thacker, V. Seyranian, A. Madva, N. T. Duong, and P. Beardsley, “Social Connectedness in Physical Isolation: Online Teaching Practices That Support Under- Represented Undergraduate Students’ Feelings of Belonging and Engagement in STEM,” Education Sciences, vol. 12, n.o 2, p. 61, ene. 2022, doi: 10.3390/educsci12020061.[14] "Gender mainstreaming: A global strategy for achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls," UN Women, 2020. [Online]. Available: [URL]. [Accessed: 29-Oct-2021][15] "Criterios y estándares