SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS

Experience

I have been tutoring and teaching since I was 16, but I developed a true passion for it in college. Through tutoring students in chemical engineering courses, math, and biology, I have noticed that students often lack one or more of the following: good study habits, confidence, or a strong foundation in difficult concepts. I have especially observed that many minorities in STEM—including myself—struggle to feel confident enough to admit confusion. These issues become even more challenging when combined with financial or emotional stress in students’ personal lives.

I was fortunate to have mentors who helped build my confidence and provided me with the resources and support needed to succeed. I am determined to further students’ technical knowledge and promote inclusion within the STEM community. I believe all students can overcome barriers in these fields with a supportive mentor.

As an undergraduate student, I have tutored students one-on-one to help them build their technical skills. If I notice that students are confused by my explanation or struggle with an example problem, I adjust my teaching approach. Additionally, I have pursued a teaching minor, which has taught me how to create engaging lesson plans and present STEM topics in an exploratory way, rather than relying on rote memorization. I have also observed and taught for 175 hours in high school classrooms. I hope to continue developing my skills as an educator in graduate school.

I've provided an example of one student I've worked with below:

Application

In high school, I hated chemistry. Or, rather, I hated it because I was frustrated that I didn't understand it. Since then, my perspective has changed—a lot. At the time, I needed to develop the conceptual knowledge, but I didn't have the resources available. My teacher ridiculed me during office hours for asking "stupid" questions. There was no TA for the class, and while my mom could afford a few tutoring sessions for me, paying for a tutor consistently was too expensive. Challenges in my personal life aggravated these factors, leaving me with a weak understanding of chemistry topics.

Following this experience, I did not start off studying chemical engineering in college. However, after falling in love with my first biology class and being told that my major was "not that hard," I decided to take on chemical engineering. It was admittedly very challenging at first. However, through dedication and re-evaluation over time, I developed better study habits, stronger conceptual knowledge, and a deeper appreciation for chemistry and chemical engineering.

Fast-forwarding to tutoring, I see many students who share my experiences but also have additional challenges they face in college. Referring to the example I gave above, students may lack the financial background to have a reliable calculator. Other students work multiple jobs in addition to their education to pay for rent or food. Some students may have relationship- or family-related issues that make it hard for them to concentrate. Others may have learning disabilities and require a different teaching style. I could go on, but all students will at one point face a challenge in their learning, whether that's avoidable or not. When students lack the support to help them in their educational path, this can put them at risk of doing poorly in their classes or even dropping out of college. This is not caused by a lack of intelligence; I believe all students are capable of succeeding given a support system. When tutoring, I make an effort to ask students about their day and validate their points of confusion. I emphasize there are no stupid questions, and if students don't understand my explanation of a topic, I think of new ways to break down the material (verbally, visually, physically, etc.).

Now that I've described my path in chemical engineering and interactions with students, how does this relate to sustainability? Like the old saying goes, progress is built on the shoulders of many rather than the individual. My journey in chemical engineering has provided me with the foundational knowledge to pass on to others. My time in high school classrooms and tutoring has begun developing my active listening and communication skills, and my conversations and sessions with the students I tutor have informed me of the many personal challenges they may face. New ideas are developed through new generations of empowered students. Moreover, as discussed in a previous section, sustainable solutions arise from the culmination of ideas from diverse backgrounds. The people who come from these backgrounds must be supported within higher education; that can start in the tutoring center.

I aim to teach thoughtfully and empathetically, using the skills I've developed through this pillar.