In high school, I received two impactful awards that would lay out my career goals. The first was a financial award from Global Glimpse to participate in their international travel leadership program. In Nicaragua, I discovered my passions to mitigate climate change and racial injustices abroad and in the United States. The mentorship and guidance I acquired from the 10,000 Degrees Marin Scholarship were key components to my success in higher education. I intend to give back the same support by providing academic resources and organizing outreach programs.
As an undergraduate student, I found that my voice and story have power in creating a positive change among young Latinas. I participated in an Expand Your Horizons (EYH) conference workshop for women in STEM in which I spoke about the challenges I faced and overcame during my time as an undergraduate student. Simultaneously, I began to grow a passion for engineering. I became a student leader for the Solar Energy Association at UC Merced and I began learning about circuity and materials science. I used the skills I learned as an engineer to develop several solar energy and circuitry workshops and outreach events for middle school students in Merced county, CA. I hosted a Solar Car Challenge with over 40 middle school teams participating in the solar race competition, and I organized an Energize Merced conference geared towards underrepresented high school students to inspire engineering and sustainability through energy research. The conference involved several oral and poster presentations on renewable energies from business and research professionals. My experience as a student leader has prepared me to create successful STEM diversity programs, and I will apply my knowledge and skills in graduate school and my future professional endeavors.
At Duke University in 2022, I organized a one-day, immersive event called Light, Infrared, and Thermal Energy (LITE) workshop for highschool students focused on emissivity and infrared light for thermal control and sustainability in textiles and smart buildings. Students assembled cardboard goggles with virtual reality and thermal vision capabilities I helped to construct using two software application and a FLIR One thermal camera. Today, I continue to organize outreach initiatives at the University of Chicago as a visiting graduate student.
Genesis M. Higueros 