Pre-College Day Inspires High School Students to See Themselves in STEM

Stony Brook University's Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) welcomed students from Brentwood High School to campus for Pre-College Day, a morning of tours, demonstrations and student-led mentorship designed to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.

Held on November 7 in the Student Activities Center, the event brought together a wide range of student organizations - including the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), Alpha Eta Mu Beta (the Biomedical Engineering Honor Society), VIP BEAR (Vertically Integrated Projects in Bioengineering Education Application and Research), and the Stony Brook Simons STEM Scholars Program- each showcasing hands-on projects and opportunities in STEM at Stony Brook.

"Pre-College Day is about creating a space where students can see themselves in higher education," said Adrian Rodriguez, a mechanical engineering student, Simons STEM Scholar and secretary of SHPE. "Our mission is to build a community where all students, whether they're Hispanic or not, engineer or not, can grow academically, professionally and culturally."

The event focused on connecting with Brentwood High School because of its large Hispanic student population, part of SHPE's ongoing effort to strengthen representation and support pathways for underrepresented students in STEM fields.

Natalie Osorio, a freshman and SHPE's communications officer, said the event reflected both SHPE's purpose and her own motivation for joining. "We want to increase the number of Hispanics in STEM, especially in engineering," she said. "Brentwood is nearby, and we wanted to show those students that it's possible, not just to come to Stony Brook, but to imagine themselves in a STEM career."

Osorio added that success for the day would be measured less in numbers and more in inspiration. "If the students leave more motivated and excited about pursuing STEM, that's a win," she said. "Even if they choose another university, the goal is that they feel encouraged to keep going."

Throughout the morning, Brentwood students rotated through interactive tables, exploring biomedical devices, lab setups and campus tours. Each station offered a "passport stamp," which could be traded in for a raffle ticket, an engaging way to keep students moving and learning across disciplines.

For Norah Allam, a senior in the WISE Honors Program and a member of Alpha Eta Mu Beta, mentorship was a central theme of the day. "When I was a freshman, I had a senior mentor who guided me through my first year," Allam said. "Now I want to pass that on."

By the end of the event, students had toured campus buildings, explored engineering labs, and connected with college mentors who shared their stories and goals. For SHPE and its collaborators, Pre-College Day was more than outreach, it was an invitation.

"We want these students to see that there's a place for them here," Rodriguez said. "That's what this day is all about."

-Lily Miller