As a counselor educator interested in career development, I’m convinced that school, academic and career counselors play  a “gatekeeper” and “gateopener” role within course, program and college major choice making. Counselors and advisors intentionally and unconsciously influence the STEM information received by students.

Recent experience with NASA and their commitment to promote STEM career options led me to see how my “unconscious

incompetence” about STEM initiatives affects how I serve All students. Learning about the relationship among STEM initiatives, student access, and career readiness led to www.stemcareer.com as a brokering site to support STEM advocates.

Responsible for the currency and accuracy of all site information, I’m grateful for NASA’s interest in connecting counselors and STEM resources. All feedback and suggestions about STEM resources useful to Counselors, Students, Parents and Educators can be sent to Rich Feller, Professor of Counseling and Career Development at Colorado State University, at Rich.Feller@ColoState.EDU or 970-491-6879.

Building a group of colleagues able to advance the cause, and collaborate through project development and dissemination is a goal of this site. Linking to www.stemcareer.com is most appreciated. This site will remain free and will not sell products.

Jenn Long (Director):

As STEM fields are often referred to as “jobs of the future”, I have an investment in engaging our current and next generations in pursuing these opportunities and dispelling myths that hold young people back from believing in themselves as future innovators within STEM careers. I believe in a STEM Education and engagement model to support our youth, as my STEM experience includes a high school summer internship with NASA in the tech and computer programming area, where I was able to explore, observe, grow and see myself as a potential contributor in science and technology.

STEM resources useful to Counselors, Students, Parents and Educators can also be sent to Jenn Long at jenn.long@colostate.edu or 410-302-4537.

Noah Clark (Webmaster):

A mechanical engineering graduate from Colorado State University I have been working with Rich Feller on www.stemcareer.com for six years.  My STEM experience includes working two summers at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas after my junior and senior year in high school.

      Rich and I both believe that I am a model for STEM education, which is why I remain involved with stemcareer.com. With over since years experience as a professional web developer, and being interested in STEM since I used a computer for the first time, I now work full-time in a STEM field. In many ways I exemplify the advantage of understanding the resources found within this website.

Kaitlyn Reed (Intern):

As a Counseling Psychology Ph.D. student at Colorado State University, my passion for supporting students pursing STEM careers derives from my individual research and professional engagements. First, my involvement in various counseling roles sparked my interest in young and emerging adult identity development. Since, I have dedicated my research to exploring how counselors can engage in strategies to support youth in identity exploration and self-reflection in order to gain a deeper understanding of who they are most authentically.

Currently, much of my joy comes from empowering individuals to integrate what they know about themselves (their strengths, values, aptitudes, and passions) and how they are called to serve the world. With more job opportunities available in the STEM field, I believe it is the responsibility of counselors to be informed with the most innovate strategies to empower students to believe in themselves as future scientists, and while providing them with the tangible resources they need to make their dreams a reality.