Board 291: Future STEM Leaders: An Innovative Career-Readiness Program for Female Graduate Students

Future STEM Leaders: An Innovative Career Readiness Program for STEM Graduate Students prepares future leaders of the STEM workforce through a cross-departmental initiative to develop student transferable skills, activate mentor networks, and instill confidence in their ability to attain their career goals. The program encourages traditionally underrepresented students in STEM (including but not limited to women, minorities, and persons with disabilities) to participate and draws from a unique and broad set of partners at the university, including faculty in the College of Engineering & Applied Sciences, the central Career Center's career development and employer engagement teams, as well as the Office of Alumni Relations, each with distinct contributions to the student experience. This two-semester experience employs a design thinking framework, adapted from Burnett and Evans, to prompt deep career exploration beyond the boundaries of traditional academe. Graduate students design three different futures, called Odyssey Plans, and prototype these potential careers by connecting with industry professionals who can introduce them to new ways of applying their graduate level knowledge and skills. In addition to the exploration of career alternatives, students receive additional resources from the Career Center's educational programs including salary negotiation and interview skills. The team uses materials specifically designed to address differences in salary knowledge and negotiation practices. Students learn to benchmark salaries based on job location, industry, and required skills. Narrative feedback from participants reveals a level of uneasiness about verbally expressing the utility of their skills, academic knowledge, and even project work. Formative assessment results are driving changes to the program to incorporate more practice in articulating self-value to different audiences, and an infusion of low-stakes industry project simulations to develop transferable skills and confidence.