Program Highlights
Spring 2024 has been a busy semester filled with a ton of MESA events. Our students were able to attend a variety of STEM conferences, make connections with other MESA leaders, and even share slices of pie with peers and faculty. We are excited to highlight our students in this newsletter, but if you are interested in keeping up with all MESA updates and activities check out our Instagram page!WVC MESA Program Overview
Here’s an overview of all the MESA activities from the last five months!
Our Graduating Cohort
This semester, we have five graduating MESA students. We are so proud of all their accomplishments at West Valley and know they will succeed in their future endeavors.
Major: Behavioral Neuroscience / Biological Psychology
Major: Computer Science
Major: Biology / Pre-Med
Major: Math / Economics
Major: Computer Science
Conference Attendance
MESA Leadership Retreat
On April 5-7, three of our MESA students attended the 29th Annual MESA Student Leadership Retreat in Santa Cruz, CA. There were over 35 community colleges represented that weekend, with opportunities for students to explore, connect, and grow their leadership skills.
Students also worked on field projects and presented their findings to the attendees. One topic included debunking the “mysteries” of the Mystery Spot after visiting the location. West Valley’s own Dean of Science and Math, Mel Vaughn, participated in this weekend retreat and led the Mystery Spot project!
My time at the MESA retreat was full of inspiration, learning, and most importantly fun. It’s a great activity based program where you can not only explore your own interests, but also find new opportunities within STEM you may not have been aware of previously. During the trip I was able to meet innovators from everywhere in California and have made new friends I can now use as resources when I travel to other cities. The MESA Retreat really emphasized community building and I am grateful for the opportunity to participate.
This semester, we have focused on increasing our outreach and recruitment initiatives to expand our MESA cohort. Initiatives include:
- Visits to introductory and lower level courses at West Valley.
- Welcoming middle and high school groups into the MESA Center for tours and MESA promotion.
- Attending high school outreach events across local high schools to meet with prospective students and families.
In April, we welcomed a group of 40 student leaders from local high school MESA programs. These students visited West Valley’s planetarium with Professor Mendelsohn, toured the campus, and enjoyed some pizza with our MESA students while campus club “The Lab Rats” demonstrated how to create and use organic-based paint.
