Alexander Beltzer-Sweeney
Bio
Here is what being a STEM Community Scholar means to him:
Becoming a STEM Community Scholar has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have had in my life. During my time as a STEM Community Scholar, I learned skills that will help me in my future professional career and expanded my passion for passing that knowledge onto other students so that they too can learn how to be successful. As a STEM Community Scholar, I not only try to expose students to resources that might help them accomplish their goals and needs, but I also represent the school in my everyday life when interacting with STEM professionals and companies. I do this because others did it for me and that is why I was able to have this opportunity. If it were not for the STEM Community Scholarship, I would not have had the time to work with students as a tutor or volunteer in the different parts of Mesa’s campus. Events like the farmer’s market on campus allowed me to see the many ways that Mesa College helps its community of students, staff, and teachers, and seeing that instilled a feeling of pride and a desire to help again in the future when the opportunities arise.
The STEM Community Scholar program took me to companies and introduced me to professionals in multiple fields. They were able to explain the many ways to achieve my academic goals that I had not previously considered. That encouragement reinforced my resolve not only to continue my education, but to diversify it. It was also during these field trips that I came to learn how much STEM companies desired college students like me, and also employed them too. During the Solar Turbine Company field trip we were shown that many of their employees came from right here at Mesa College—ranging from engineers and computer scientists to accountants and human resource personnel.
I am, and will remain, profoundly grateful for the people who took the time to develop the STEM Community Scholars program. It was with their dedication, advisement, and support that I was able to accomplish what I did during this semester, and I will continue to pass on the inspiration they have given me to others around me. I have learned that by being a STEM Community Scholar, I now have a responsibility to take what I have learned and pass it on to whomever I interact with on a daily basis. I will find opportunities to not only help myself, but to help others, because by assisting others I am supporting our community.