Out in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (oSTEM) is an organization devoted to building a community to empower LGBTQ+ students in STEM and provide professional development opportunities to equip LGBTQ+ students for a career in STEM.
Declan Crowe, a third-year studying foreign languages and literature and meteorology and the president of oSTEM, said oSTEM provides resources to help students develop valuable career skills and network.
“We have people from different companies come in and talk to us about what is going on in their company and how their company is supporting LGBTQ+ individuals,” Crowe said. “We also do have some different departments come in, for example, we plan to have the Career Development Center come in from time to time to talk to us about various things like resume workshops and career fair prep and all those things.”
Jose Sorroza, a second-year studying civil engineering and the treasurer for oSTEM, said the organization also undertakes volunteer projects, including volunteering at a community garden. He said his favorite part about oSTEM is learning from professionals in STEM fields.
“It’s nice, seeing queer people like in actual professional settings, because I feel like that isn’t something that we get to see a whole lot,” Sorroza said. “So it’s just nice, just for that, but also it’s really nice hearing what they have to say because they give us a lot of helpful advice on how we should navigate with our identities at the workplace. I know for a lot of people, [that’s] their concern, because not every employer is LGBTQ friendly.”
Crowe said being involved in oSTEM has helped him build a community at NC State.
“My favorite part about oSTEM is the connections that we can make with others,” Crowe said. “oSTEM really provided me those connections to learn a lot about professional development, but also to really connect with some other career individuals and to know that there are other queer people in STEM. And not just at the undergraduate level — there are people in our club that are at the doctorate level, and the master’s level, we even have a few postdocs that will join us from time to time.”
Crowe explained how having folks from all different walks of life join oSTEM helps support and empower members.
“To me, that was very empowering, and very good to see that there are some other people out there that have made it down that path, and that they could support me through my journey,” Crowe said. “So I think it was really a wonderful thing for me to just start making those connections. And I would encourage everybody else to come to one of our meetings to try to make some connections with others as well.”
Sorroza said oSTEM is important because it connects LGBTQ+ students in STEM and acts as a support system.
“It can be a bit isolating being queer in a very like, cis, het, white-dominated field, and it’s always nice just to know that there are people like you in the struggle as well,” Sorroza said.
Crowe encourages students to get involved with oSTEM.
“We are working hard to make sure that all of our students feel that they come to talk to us, and have a sense that they can have a space to get to know one another and get to know a community,” Crowe said. “And I would encourage anybody who might be feeling a little bit lost, who might hold a queer identity, to come and join us, because we will definitely provide as much support for you as we can throughout your academic journey.”
To learn more about oSTEM, visit their website or follow their Instagram page @ostemncstate.
