Solve for Tomorrow OpEd: The Greatest Untapped Resource in STEM Are Hispanic Students

As Hispanic Heritage Month segues into Global Diversity Awareness Month, Instructional Technology Specialist for New Mexico’s Gadsden Independent School District Saul Nunez, who guided his Santa Teresa High School student team to a National Finalist honor in the 2022-2023 Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition, focused attention on underappreciated opportunities that science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education and careers offer for Hispanic students in the U.S.

Saul Nunez, Instructional Tech Specialist for New Mexicos Gadsden Independent School District, a Samsung Solve for Tomorrow alum.

His Opinion piece, ”Let’s expand our kids’ vision of what’s possible,” in The El Paso Times highlighted that:

“Hispanic youth represent an underutilized resource for a society that needs a vibrant STEM workforce. Between 2023 and 2033, STEM jobs are projected to grow by 10.4%, far above the 3.6% growth in non-STEM jobs. The Hispanic community is among the fastest-growing U.S. populations; with both youth and entrepreneurial spirit on our side. The more we can encourage Hispanic students’ participation in STEM, the better off all America will be.”

A colleague’s anecdote sums up for Saul the challenges educators face in overcoming the gulf between what many Hispanic students are able to bring to school and what they’ll need to succeed in classes and the workplace:

“Encouraging a young girl to take STEM classes, that teacher asked what she wanted to be when she grew up. The answer? ‘A secretary, like the ones on telenovelas—they’re beautiful and live exciting lives!’ The teacher responded, ‘Being a secretary is a fine job. But your curiosity and potential go beyond what you see on TV.’”

Persistence paid off, and that student not only pursued STEM but became a successful chemical engineer, showing how important representation is in shaping young minds and expanding horizons, as seen in figures like former NASA astronauts Jose Hernandez and Ellen Ochoa (the first Latina in space!).

Further illustrating the possibilities STEM offers Hispanic youth, Saul pointed to his Santa Teresa High School students, who earned the Solve for Tomorrow National Finalist recognition for their “Living Lumbre” solar-powered heated floor mat for unhoused refugee families and the 2023-2024 State Winner title for their artificial intelligence (AI) monitoring system to protect culturally important Hatch Chili crops. 

Read Saul’s full El Paso Times commentary, including three specific recommendations for teachers on how to increase Hispanic student participation in STEM, here.

To learn more about the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow STEM competition, which is accepting entries now through October 24, 2024, please visit www.Samsung.com/Solve.

Saul Nunez’s Santa Teresa High School students preparing their Living Lumbre STEM solution ahead of their big pitch to judges.