Successful: Great Minds in STEM

Successful

Great Minds in STEM Conference nets new hires for USACE enterprise

Peggy Bebb

A contingent of USACE personnel converged on Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Sept. 25-29 to attend the Great Minds in Stem (GMiS) Conference. According to their website, greatmindsinstem.org, GMiS serves as a gateway for young Hispanics to enter fields in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) by focusing on educational awareness programs for students. It focuses on promoting STEM careers and programs through the recognition of Hispanics and other role models in various scientific fields. The organization collaborates with some of the major STEM employers in the country. For the conference, the Corps joined forces with NASA, Department of Defense entities, and numerous private-sector companies to engage with college student’s presently studying in STEM-related fields. Participants engaged in speed networking, static displays, the College Bowl, job fairs, and socializing in a fun, fast-paced, environment. Jacksonville District (SAJ) had the honor of leading the USACE team for this year’s 31st annual GMiS Conference. Spearheaded by USACE event manager Lucy Soto, SAJ’s Equal Employment Officer, team members from all over the USACE enterprise came together to provide support, assist in recruitment and take advantage of the Corps’ current Direct Hire Authority to fill positions, not only in Jacksonville, but across USACE. “USACE presence at the conference and career fair was important because it provided an opportunity to collaborate with GMiS STEM initiatives, allowing us to recruit, develop and retain the most gifted people our nation has to offer,” said Soto.

Jose Bilbao, a project manager who participated as a USACE College Bowl team lead and judge, said the conference is “a great opportunity to expose college students to the top engineering organization in the world.” Attending students came from colleges from coast to coast and Puerto Rico. “These students are considering careers in their respective fields, and it’s critical to educate them to the broad spectrum of engineering disciplines that the Corps of Engineers provides,” said Bilbao. The College Bowl team leads had two days of face-toface interaction with the students they recruited for their teams. When picking team members, Bilbao said he went for “civil engineer students first since we are a civil engineer-heavy organization.” But even more important was selecting students who had leadership traits, because these individuals not only tend to excel in the event, but make great professional candidates as well, he said. These assessments promoted the recruitment aspect of the conference as well as providing USACE personnel the opportunity to mingle and get to know students, introduce themselves and go into detail about what the Corps has to offer. During these interactions, Bilbao met a few of the individuals who would later become part of his team. To highlight USACE’s past success and ongoing support of the conference, the team brought along students who attended GMiS last year and as a result received offers of employment. One of them was Diego Barreto, a California State University Northridge junior, who is finalizing his studies in mechanical engineering. Baretto is presently working with the Los Angeles District, instead of being a student searching for a job. “What attracted me to the Corps was seeing how passionate the team was and being exposed to the endless opportunities the Corps can provide,” he said. As the conference and job fair drew to a close, Soto said it had been a total success as demonstrated by the participation of the college students interested in pursuing STEM careers. USACE successfully came away with more than 15 direct hires, most of whom were students.

“These students are considering careers in their respective fields, and it’s critical to educate them to the broad spectrum of engineering disciplines that the Corps of Engineers provides,” Jose Bilbao, project manager

Jacksonville District Great Minds in STEM College Bowl team lead, Jose D. Bilboa (top left), and coaches Josinell M. Serrano-Canals (bottom left) and Xoel Castillo Rivera (top right) run through a roster of potential team members for the Corps College Bowl in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. from Sept. 27, 2019.