The Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) at Cornell University’s Einhorn Center for Community Engagement is helping create new pathways to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers for students from communities often underrepresented in these fields. Founded in 1986 and funded by the New York State Education Department, STEP offers a variety of services to support local high school students, preparing them for the college admissions process and connecting them with STEM professionals.
Ahead, we share how Cornell’s STEP is helping Black, Hispanic and Indigenous high school students and youth from limited-income households in Ithaca prepare for STEM careers. We also explore the lack of representation in STEM and how philanthropic leaders are helping to increase diversity.
More About STEP
Representation in STEM drives creative thinking and ensures that people from all backgrounds can see themselves in a STEM career. Yet according to a 2023 report from the National Science Foundation, Black American workers represented only 9% of the STEM workforce in the U.S. in 2021. Hispanic American workers represented 15%, and Asian Americans represented 10%.
To address underrepresentation in STEM, Cornell’s STEP provides local high school students from diverse backgrounds in Ithaca with college preparatory resources and other opportunities for growth. The program includes:
- STEP Saturdays, where participants try out careers through hands-on activities
- College visits
- College admissions preparation
- One-on-one and small-group advising
- Academic support, such as tutoring and standardized test preparation
- Financially supportive services like college application and ACT/SAT fee waivers
“Seeing people of color in academia and high-level jobs is very empowering, especially at a young age,” said Ithaca High School senior and STEP participant Joshua Kwakye-Minott. “Seeing someone who’s just like me makes it feel obtainable.”
Cornell’s STEP not only helps create a new generation of creative problem solvers, but it also helps connect diverse student populations with professionals who share similar backgrounds and experiences.
“People at STEP aren’t just doing their job; they care,” said student and STEP participant Etienne Exantus. “I think everybody, especially young kids of color, need[s] to know that they have that kind of person backing them up. I joined STEP when my confidence was low, and it gave me the support and encouragement I needed to chase my dreams.”
Increasing Representation in STEM Fields Through Philanthropy
To further support efforts to increase diverse representation in STEM, engineer, investor, philanthropist and Cornell University alumnus Robert F. Smith has partnered with the school on many initiatives. In 2016, Smith and Fund II Foundation, a nonprofit organization, donated a combined $50 million to support chemical and biomolecular engineering programs and Black and female STEM students at Cornell University’s College of Engineering. The school was renamed the Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in his honor. Smith also received Cornell Engineering’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2020.
In 2022, he also donated $15 million to Cornell for engineering student financial aid. The gift supports undergraduate students from urban high schools and graduate students who attended Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) for their undergraduate degrees. These combined efforts highlight Smith’s commitment to creating pathways to STEM for students from diverse backgrounds. Combined with programs like STEP, these efforts help increase representation in STEM fields.
Learn more about how leaders like Smith are helping to increase representation in STEM by following Smith on LinkedIn.
View Smith’s conversation with Lance Collins, the former Dean of the College of Engineering at Cornell, about the path to successful entrepreneurship through STEM.
