Western Nebraska Community College
Rosa Linda Acevedo
Hometown: Scottsbluff, NE
High school: Torrington High School, Wyoming
Major: Biomechanical Engineering
Semester Selected: Fall 2021
Who is someone (teacher, mentor, role model) in STEM you look up to and why? My older sister. She is strong, resilient, and level headed. She is a non-traditional student and is working on her PHD in Psychology. I strive to follow in her foot steps and create my own wonderful life!
What is one piece of advice you would give to someone considering a STEM major? Ask questions, and ask for help. The resources are endless. Keep up on the homework and learn as much as your brain can hold!
What are you looking forward to in the STEM CONNECT program? Everything! So far I have enjoyed every seminar and have learned a lot about my field of study, also with learning many things about myself.
What is one misconception about STEM that you want to break? It's mostly men in the field. I would love to see the amount of women in this program currently, to move forward in the field and be successful!
How do you use STEM in your life? I believe that I am a bit more of an engineer. I am constantly learning how things go together. I am constantly fixing things, building things, and using my imagination. Now that I am in school I have the opportunity to get to the "nitty gritty" of things and understand how math and science play a huge part in the field of study I am in.
Octavious Gonzalez
Hometown: Scottsbluff, NE
High school: Scottsbluff High School
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Semester Selected: Fall 2021
What inspired you to pursue STEM? The technology and science fields always fascinated me while mathematics and engineering were concepts I naturally took a liking to. It only seemed natural for me to pursue a STEM course.
What is the best project you’ve ever worked on or really admire in STEM? A project I've really admired working on was one where we had to design an object for a local business using a 3D printer and a 3D modeling software known as Auto-CAD. The object was an everyday handle but we had to provide a specific branding and a unique ergonomic design to it. We were allowed to use our collective imagination to the fullest to build it.
Who is someone (teacher, mentor, role model) in STEM you look up to and why? I look up to my dad who is involved in the computer science field in IT work. He started from scratch and worked his way up to the respectable job he has now, all the while helping provide for his family.
What is one piece of advice you would give to someone considering a STEM major? Don't be afraid of the words contained in the acronym "STEM". If you are interested in everything technology, but are worried about the mathematical sense of it, give it a chance. The only way is up.
Quintin Hassel
Hometown: Minatare, NE
High school: Bayard High School
Major: Engineering
Semester Selected: Fall 2021
What’s your dream job? Electrical Engineer.
What inspired you to pursue STEM? Not many people go into the field.
What is the best project you’ve ever worked on or really admire in STEM? Making a cooler out of cardboard.
Who is someone (teacher, mentor, role model) in STEM you look up to and why? Dr. Scott Schaub at WNCC because he is very intelligent and an amazing teacher.
What are you looking forward to in the STEM CONNECT program? Learning about engineering.
Jace Heimerman
Hometown: Scottsbluff, NE
High school: Scottsbluff High School
Major: Engineering
Semester Selected: Spring 2022
What’s your dream job? Civil Engineer.
Who is someone (teacher, mentor, role model) in STEM you look up to and why? Dr. Scott Schaub at WNCC.
What is one piece of advice you would give to someone considering a STEM major? It provides an early start towards working with peers.
What are you looking forward to in the STEM CONNECT program? Peer collaboration.
What excites you about STEM? The career readiness and excitement in my interest of civil engineering.
Rebekah Holtmeier
Hometown: Hay Springs, NE
High school: Hay Springs Public Schools
Major: General Studies in Math & Science
Semester Selected: Spring 2022
What’s your dream job? To be a funeral director and embalmer.
Who is someone (teacher, mentor, role model) in STEM you look up to and why? Stephen Hawking, he shows how people even with disabilities can be capable of so much.
What is one piece of advice you would give to someone considering a STEM major? To build rapport with your professors.
How do you use STEM in your life? Math and science are found everywhere and can be used with just about everything.
Shelby James
Hometown: Scottsbluff, NE
High school: Hosanna Christian Academy
Major: Computer Science
Semester Selected: Fall 2021
What is the best project you’ve ever worked on or really admire in STEM? The NASA fellowship I got through WNCC where I got to work with GoPiGo robots! My Intro to Robotics class where we worked with the MBot robots was really fun as well.
Who is someone (teacher, mentor, role model) in STEM you look up to and why? I admire every woman in STEM ever who came before me and paved the way for me to have an experience with the most potential for maximum learning, and I admire Bill Loring, my advisor and teacher, for his willingness to teach and give students the understanding needed to succeed.
What is one piece of advice you would give to someone considering a STEM major? Stick with it! Going to school is hard, STEM fields are hard, staying motivated is hard... However, getting far enough in your field of study to where you start to have your lightbulb moment and understand how it all works is so worth it!
Joann Jones
Hometown: Scottsbluff, NE
High school: Angeles University Foundation, Philippines
Major: Computer Science
Semester Selected: Fall 2021
What is the best project you’ve ever worked on or really admire in STEM? I don't have a finished project yet, but I am working on my NASA Scholarship grant this fall semester through the spring semester. The NASA Scholarship grant is a project through which I have the opportunity to build and program a robot that will detect weather data like temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure, and it will stream the data on a monitor.
Who is someone (teacher, mentor, role model) in STEM you look up to and why? Mr. William Loring is my mentor and teacher that I look up to because he is always there to answer questions and give advice on any assignments or projects that I need help with, even on his off days.
Shawn Raben
Hometown: Chadron, NE
High school: Chadron High School
Major: Computer Science
Semester Selected: Fall 2020
What’s your dream job? Video Game Developer.
What is the best project you’ve ever worked on or really admire in STEM? I have a game on the app store and am working on another one currently.
What are you looking forward to in the STEM CONNECT program? The ability to pay for school and continue my education.
What excites you about STEM? The logical thinking and problem solving. For some people, solving a problem gives a rush and a feeling that is unmatched by anything else.
Braeden Stuempler
Hometown: Rushville, NE
High school: Gordon Rushville High School
What’s your dream job? Entrepreneur.
What is the best project you’ve ever worked on or really admire in STEM? The monthly follow we have with the mentors from our respective schools.
Who is someone (teacher, mentor, role model) in STEM you look up to and why? I look up to my calculus professor, Dr. Scott Schaub, because of all the incredible sounding careers he has had.
What excites you about STEM? STEM excites me, because it will be giving me a chance to learn more about technology and certain sciences that are leading the world in innovation.
What are you looking forward to in the STEM CONNECT program? I am looking forward to the access to information and knowledge to obtain while in the STEM CONNECT program.
Additional Scholars
Kade Thunderbull
High School: Gering, Nebraska
Tate Carson
High School: Torrington, Wyoming
Shawn Rabine
High School: Chadron, Nebraska
Elli Winkler
High School: Gering, Nebraska