From fostering independence to establishing a clear career path — the 12 students who participated in the 2024 Guam NSF EPSCoR Student Research Experience (SRE) and the Guam NSF SEAS Islands Alliance undergraduate fellowship shared their insights at a final Neer Peer mentorship meeting in November.
Overseen by Cheryl Sangueza, Ph.D., the Near Peer mentorship creates an opportunity for student researchers to learn from and mentor each other and shape their career paths in STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics). Sangueza is the student coordinator for Guam NSF EPSCoR and co-principal investigator of Guam NSF SEAS Islands Alliance.
One of the major goals of the program is to prepare the students for the SACNAS National Diversity in STEM Conference, teaching them how to network and best present themselves at the nation’s largest diversity conference. Another goal of the program is to help the students relate their experiences to things outside of science, including how their research connects with identity and culture.
“The process is the product,” said Sangueza during the meeting, driving home that the Near Peer mentorship and research experiences impact the evolution of their self-identity. “It’s the process and the journey that is the product.”
Between bites of pizza, the students discussed their experiences in research, reflected on the year and wished each other well on their future endeavors. While they all had different backgrounds, experiences and intentions in participating, every student was able to clearly communicate the value of the program.
Nicole Pineda, a Guam NSF EPSCoR SRE student, who is in the pre-med biology track decided to participate in the program to widen her perspective on STEM careers. She expressed that she found the mentorship incredibly valuable as she performed research on the ecophysiology of Ostreobiu, a genus of green algae. Despite having no background in marine biology, Pineda was welcomed by her mentors and peers in order to help her build a foundation on the topic.
“I really enjoyed having independence over my own project and something that I could see grow throughout the months,” said Pineda, adding that there was a sense of fulfillment from being able to have questions answered by her research as time went on.
Throughout the year the students not only grew professionally but also personally, finding that the program became a place to learn about themselves. For example, Pineda has become more interested in research-based STEM careers after completing the program.
Despite originally being disinterested in the length of time it takes to earn a Ph.D., Guam NSF SEAS Islands Alliance fellow Nadley Yow realized that she wanted to pursue one after interacting with so many scientists and discovering how much more knowledge there is out there.
Cyril Concepcion, another Guam NSF SEAS Islands Alliance fellow, came to appreciate how empowering it is to be a woman in STEM. Originally feeling the “Women in STEM” label to be tokenizing, her perspective shifted after time with her Near Peer cohort.
“It’s more like an identity that you can help connect with others,” said Concepcion, admitting that she no longer feels limited by the term. “You can be that representation that little girls need.”
Of course, while the program touts itself as a vehicle for self-discovery and career growth, the main benefit of the Near Peer mentorship was the camaraderie. While each students’ research varied, all of the students could agree on one thing: the program gave them a sense of community amongst fellow researchers.
“If you didn’t already feel like you belong in the science community, you come into this and you find out that, there are people that feel the same way as you,” said MaryJolleen Perez, affectionately known as MJ to her peers.
Perez, who studied diatoms under Guam NSF EPSCoR’s Christopher Lobban, Ph.D., spoke about feeling self-conscious over struggling with her research or not having enough information. She had been previously concerned that she was behind in her research, but later found reassurance that her peers could identify with that feeling.
“The Near Peer definitely helped in a way sort of like affirm that I belonged here,” agreed Daniel Urbano, another Guam NSF EPSCoR student researcher, “because no matter how I felt in my research, like, ‘oh, I feel like I’m behind on things’ or like ‘this study isn’t as important as maybe some of the other studies’… everyone was sort of in the same boat when we went to Near Peer. We could talk about it peer to peer, as equals.”
The Near Peer mentorship will start up again in Fañomnåkan 2025 with a new batch of student researchers. Students who participate in either the undergraduate fellowship or SRE can look forward to benefitting from the mentorship program.
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