Butte College
News Announcement

MESA Connects Butte Students with Industry Leaders

Six Butte College MESA students, Lilyanne Golia, Aaishah Khan, Itiel Acosta, Ana Duenas, Efren Cruz and Edgar Reynoso, were selected to attend MESA's invite-only STEM conference in San Diego. 

The Student Leadership Conference brought together engineering and computer science students with industry to develop the next generation of STEM leaders. Held at the Marriott Mission Valley, October 28-29, this year's conference challenged students to design a product or service (in about 30 hours) addressing a problem caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which disproportionately impacts underserved communities.   

MESA students got the unique opportunity to interact one-on-one and in small groups with company executives, engineers and recruiters. Many often leave the conference with internship offers that lead to full-time employment. Students networked and attended leadership and communications workshops in addition to the team challenge. 

"MESA's Student Leadership Conference provides an incredible opportunity for our community college and university students to gain invaluable career development skills and network with leading industry professionals to kick-start their STEM careers," said MESA Executive Director Thomas Ahn. "Our students represent the skills, passion and potential that California desperately needs to enrich our workforce and strengthen our communities. MESA students are among California's most precious resources for diverse talent in the STEM fields."

Companies recognize the importance of engaging with and supporting our students — so much so that they fully fund the conference with donations. These enlightened corporate partners understand these are not simply underserved and underrepresented students. They are an underutilized pool of talent. Companies simply cannot afford to ignore this talent pool.

The MESA program guides diverse students from underrepresented backgrounds into STEM education and careers. It has a 52-year history of changing the face of science, technology and engineering by developing a new generation of STEM leaders. 

Each year MESA serves more than 20,000 students at the pre-college, community college and university levels across California. They bridge classroom learning with real-world applications and employ rigorous academics, leadership preparation, a peer community and collaborative problem-solving training to produce highly skilled college graduates who meet 21st-century STEM workforce needs.

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