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By: Alondra Infante-Stevens
My time onboard research vessels has been life changing and I owe it all to the STEMSEAS program. Eight years ago, I was privileged enough to sail on the very first STEMSEAS expedition! This year, I was invited back as a mentor for this cohort of students and it has been an amazing experience. Since my first expedition, many things have changed but it is so refreshing to see that the impact this program has on students has not.
Alondra’s first expedition with STEMSEAS, steaming from San Diego, California to Honolulu, Hawai’i in 2016. Photo Courtesy: Alondra Infante-Stevens
I love everything that STEMSEAS stands for and all it does for students. This program has helped shape me into the person that I am today. I was so happy when I was asked to be a mentor because I wanted to help make a difference in students’ lives like my mentor, Raquel, did. I remember being so fascinated by her & wanting to learn so much from her experiences. During my time on board, I’ve been able to make connections with each one of our students. I think that has been my favorite part of this whole expedition. I’ve led classes to help them learn about goal setting and personal growth to give them tools to help them reach all their dreams! I can’t wait to see all the amazing things these students do in the future. They are a group of young, motivated, resilient, inquisitive and vibrant individuals. They are so eager to learn and such hard workers. It has been so fulfilling watching them grow even in just the short time we have been aboard the ship. I love how they all have great individual characteristics but they share the same love for science.
Group shot from the first STEMSEAS voyage in 2016 on the R/V Oceanus. Photo Courtesy: Alondra Infante-Stevens.
This trip has definitely been a full circle moment for me. From starting my journey as a young eager intern just like them, to now getting to teach them & hopefully leave them with life lessons that they can carry with them has been greatly rewarding. I feel honored and blessed to have been a part of this expedition. Aside from the impact I’ve gotten from mentoring them, I have also learned so much more about science exploration. I’ve learned a lot about new and different programs and opportunities that educators like myself can bring to our community. I cannot wait to get back & share all I have learned with students so they get to have life changing experiences like the one the STEMSEAS students & I have gotten.
Alondra Infante-Stevens on the Monkey Bridge of the E/V Nautilus as she departs from Honolulu, Hawai’i, as a STEMSEAS mentor on NA160. Photo Courtesy: Alondra Infante-Stevens.
I hope STEMSEAS is around for many more years so they can continue to change students, teachers and communities with the impact that we get from opportunities like this one. They are changing the STEM world, one student at a time!
Alondra Infante-Stevens (center) surrounded by her STEMSEAS mentees and fellow educators on NA160 transit from Honolulu to Sidney, British Columbia. Photo Credit: ML Parker
