Encouraging Latino students to pursue STEM careers
By Jamie Farnsworth Finn for NBC News Learn
Hispanics make up 16 percent of the American workforce, but only 6 percent of scientists and engineers, according to the National Science Foundation.
There is ample opportunity in science, technology, engineering and math, according to Latino engineers in several fields. Zaida Hernandez-Irisson, Samantha Dominguez and Emmanuel Rivera spoke to NBC News Learn about their experiences, hoping to encourage others to explore engineering as a career option.
“I didn’t see anyone who was like me in this field,” Hernandez-Irisson, an electrical engineer at Fisher, USA, said. “I want to show that yes, English is my second language. Yes, I’m first in my family to go to college, but there are some of us out there that are making the path for the future generations.”
To learn more, read "Latino engineers want to encourage more to pursue STEM careers" from NBC News.
About the Author
Alexis GajewskiAlexis Gajewski
Senior Content Strategist
Alexis Gajewski is a manufacturing writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience covering the people, practices, and technologies that keep industrial facilities running. For more than a decade, she served as Senior Content Strategist for Plant Services, creating content for plant managers, engineers, and maintenance professionals on a variety of industrial topics.
During her tenure, Alexis worked to develop the brand’s digital strategy and helped launch and produce Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast. She also created The Lighter Side of Manufacturing, a weekly blog that explored the inventive and sometimes humorous side of the industry.
Alexis co-founded Influential Women in Manufacturing, a recognition program that honored 49 women in its first two years, earned an industry award for Best Product Launch, and received a proclamation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and a commendation from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
She also led newsroom operations and development at a large media company where she set editorial standards, developed training curriculum, and helped support AI adoption for more than 150 editors across 80+ brands spanning manufacturing, industrial processing, automation, and more.
Additionally, Alexis works as a freelance writer and editor, and her areas of interest include continuous improvement, the skilled workforce, and the role of emerging technology on the plant floor.
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