Achieving the Dream Scholarships (ADS) Project

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This project is suppling scholarships and other support for academically talented and financially needy science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) majors at the associate degree level and includes those preparing to be mathematics and science teachers. It builds upon five NSF projects related to this effort including a Computer Science, Engineering and Mathematics Scholarships (NSF-CSEMS) project and a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program (STEP) grant with Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK). Each fall a 30 student cohort are being recruited from declared majors and a unique high school recruitment program entitled College Connections. The intellectual merit of this program is that it increases awareness of STEM careers through active recruitment in high schools throughout the south Texas Del Mar College service area. Support programs currently in place are coupled with these scholarship funds and supplemental instruction for chemistry, physics and calculus to increase the likelihood of student success. Support from Texas A&M includes research opportunities and internships in engineering and science and scholarships for transfer students. The cohort is being supported by weekly faculty mentoring, intensive advising, personal counseling, and academic success workshops. The broader impacts of this program include the fact it is increasing the number of locally educated and technically skilled employees in areas of national need, thus helping both the students and the local economy.