GoldShirt

Katelynn Thammavong: A Community Leader

Anonymous — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 20:18:44 +0000

Katelynn Thammavong: A Community Leader Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 04/29/2022 - 14:18

Grace Wilson

Graduating senior Katelynn Thammavong (ChemBioEngr '22) has been recognized by the College of Engineering and Applied Science with a Community Impact award for her work to connect and empower Asian-heritage STEM students through the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE) at the university and national level.

She also worked to disrupt anti-Asian racism during the COVID-19 pandemic and became a peer mentor for other engineering students finding their way in the college.

Crossing Bridges

Thammavong came to ��ֱ�� Boulder as an Engineering GoldShirt student. The Engineering GoldShirt program supports the success of highly capable engineering students from historically underrepresented communities through connection to resources and mentorship.

"The GoldShirt program definitely helped me become more comfortable with the campus, especially through the Summer Bridge Program. I got to live on campus and work with coding and circuits for the first time,�� Thammavong said ��We had a good community �C my cohort and the cohort before me. It was so nice to have people I already knew when I moved into the dorms."

As a first year, Thammavong's peer mentors guided her to SASE.

"Growing up, I didn't have that many Asian-American friends or people of the Asian and Pacific Islander communities outside my family to look to,�� she said. ��It was interesting and fun to see other people with similar cultural beliefs as me and a similar background as me doing STEM together."

Thammavong was so impressed by the support that she received from her GoldShirt mentors that she became a mentor herself.

She also took on a leadership role in SASE, helping to organize a regional SASE conference with more than 150 attendees in early 2020.

Stopping Stigma

However, just as the conference ended, the bleak beginning of mass shut-downs in response to COVID-19 began.

The pandemic brought with it a rise in anti-Asian violence and stigma, and Thammavong joined her friends Kimberly Fung(MechEngr'23) and Jaheen Ahsan (MechEngr'21) in crafting the Unmask the Racism campaign.

Unmask the Racism started as a social media campaign that aimed to interrupt anti-Asian misinformation and grew into a celebration of Asian and Pacific Islander communities that helped support local Asian businesses through the depths of the pandemic.

"When the pandemic first started, I experienced racist encounters, and I wanted people to be aware, because most people didn't really know about what was happening across the United States."

As the pandemic continued, the desire to share hope and healing also led the Unmask the Racism group to lead the More Than 1,000 Cranes community art project.

Crafting Hope

A string of 1000 folded paper cranes "senbazuru (ǧ��Q)" is said in Japanese folklore to bring happiness and good luck. They are sometimes given to someone who is seriously ill by their classmates or coworkers as a collective effort.

At BOLD Center power hours, community gatherings and SASE meetings, Unmask the Racism team members led people in folding origami cranes.

Students, faculty and staff together folded over 2,000 cranes, working to help heal the collective hurt and suffering of the pandemic. At the culmination of the several-year project, the cranes were displayed at the Museum of Boulder, and the group gave a well-attended presentation in early April 2022.

"I was so happy to see the community come and support us, after the long years we'd been working on this," Thammavong said.

Leading Community

Thammavong led the ��ֱ�� Boulder chapter of SASE as president for two years, but then felt it was time for a change.

"I felt I needed to pass on the responsibility to give other people a chance to show their greatness" in the ��ֱ�� Boulder chapter, and so she applied for the national team.

Thammavong is now a national volunteer for the west regional team and supports all four ��ֱ�� chapters, including ��ֱ�� Boulder, Regis University, ��ֱ�� School of Mines, and a new chapter at ��ֱ�� State University Fort Collins.

In her role, Thammavong functions as a mentor, helping guide the chapters through their academic year, supporting chapter retention, board conflicts and fundraising efforts.

Facing the Future

Thammavong is graduating with a degree in chemical and biological engineering and is interested in either working with the pharmaceutical industry or cosmetics.

Cosmetics intrigue Thammavong because many daily products have environmental consequences.

"When we use soap with harsh chemicals, that could pollute the wastewater system. I think we can be more sustainable and eco-friendly in our daily products," she said.

Thammavong's community leadership will continue after her graduation. She is dedicated to the success of ��ֱ��'s SASE chapters and will continue in her role as regional coordinator next year, despite graduating.

Graduating senior Katelynn Thammavong (ChemBioEngr '22) has been recognized with a Community Impact award for her work to connect and empower Asian-heritage STEM students and disrupt anti-Asian racism during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Leah Rivera: A helper with a passion for justice

Anonymous — Fri, 17 Dec 2021 17:44:16 +0000

Leah Rivera: A helper with a passion for justice Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 12/17/2021 - 10:44

Grace Wilson

Leah Rivera (EnvEngr��'21) is the rare recipient of two awards bestowed by the College of Engineering and Applied Science: the Community Impact Award and the Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI) Award.

Rivera, however, didn��t set out to win one graduating student award, let alone two. She just wanted to be a force for good.

"I started looking up, 'What career can I have that will help people?' It was very generic, I remember googling it. And one of them was environmental engineering. I didn't know anything about engineering, but I was like, 'OK, I'll do it.'" Rivera said.

A plunge into the unknown

Despite limited knowledge of what engineering could be and no calculus or physics courses from high school, Rivera was accepted into the Engineering GoldShirt Program. Tanya Ennis, then program director of the GoldShirt program, ��took a chance on me,�� Rivera said.

The GoldShirt Program seeks to support the holistic development of promising engineers who often haven't been able to access college-preparatory courses and programs. The program provides community-building, holistic advising and financial support.

As Rivera plunged into engineering at ��ֱ�� Boulder, she had to balance learning independent living and feelings of academic inadequacy with the intense rigor of the engineering program. It was extremely challenging academically and, by her second year, Rivera was facing academic suspension.

Facing a failure

��It was a very shameful time for me because I felt like I had failed and that I couldn't get back to a good place in terms of academic standing,�� Rivera said. ��I also felt like I had disappointed other people. I didn't actually talk to my family about it because that's how embarrassed I was."

In the depths of her despair, Rivera went to Ennis.

��I expected her to say ��Oh, I told you so,�� because she gave me a chance and I nearly ruined it, but she didn't talk to me condescendingly or anything. She met me with grace,�� Rivera said.

��Leah asked me if I believed that she could succeed in engineering, and my response was, ��Of course I do. You are capable of succeeding in whatever you believe you can!�� I remember the hopeful look on her face,�� said Ennis.

Rivera started taking continuing education classes to get her GPA up and made the Dean��s List for her GPA that semester.

Fostering success

Boosted by that success, Rivera came back into the Environmental Engineering Program ready to succeed and to give back. She became a peer mentor to students in the GoldShirt Program, EVEN and Imagine��ֱ��.

She encourages students to be as open as they can be about their struggles and to get the help they need.

"Leah��s motivations have always been grounded in relationships and care for others." said Phil Courey, current director of the GoldShirt Program.

"A lot of people, myself included, make it worse by talking down to ourselves and not being nice or gentle with ourselves when facing failure. I'd just say, "Be nice to yourself and be gentle. Yes, we all make mistakes, but make the most out of it,��" Rivera said.

Rivera also recommends working with academic coaches and allowing yourself to have a support network rather than isolating yourself.

Rivera began to believe in herself, she said, and worked to stop comparing herself to other students and focus on her own strengths. She became co-president of the Society of Environmental Engineers (SEVEN), where she is dedicated to promoting inclusivity and helping build community.

Empowerment for all

"Engineering is not just about science and technology, but about how we implement it in communities to make people's lives better. That's why it's so important to me, and why I love it so much," Rivera said.

She used YOURE@��ֱ��, a class facilitated by the BOLD Center that pairs students and researchers over the course of a semester, to gain valuable research experience.

Ennis also connected Rivera with Professor Shelly Miller, who works closely with women students in the College of Engineering and Applied Science to mentor them and encourage them to succeed in engineering.

Rivera's involvement in promoting inclusivity carried through in her research, as she researched how to empower people living in north Denver neighborhoods disproportionately impacted by the expansion of I-70. A summer 2021 internship with the Environmental Protection Agency focused on expanding engagement with rural community leaders in ��ֱ��.

Gratitude and hope

Reflecting on her college experience, Rivera feels gratitude. Without the BOLD Center, she said, she knows she would not be here today. ��The GoldShirt Program is a family.��

While she said she knows she can never repay what the program did for her, she hopes to continue paying it forward.

��Leah��s demeanor changed from one of concern to one of passion and curiosity. I am extremely proud of Leah and all that she��s accomplished,�� Ennis said. ��I know that she will positively impact the world with her dedication to protecting the environment and her relentless care for all people that she encounters.��

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Engineering GoldShirt Program recognized by National Academy of Engineering

Anonymous — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 20:36:38 +0000

Engineering GoldShirt Program recognized by National Academy of Engineering Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 02/26/2020 - 13:36

Alexandra Wilson

The Engineering GoldShirt Program at the University of ��ֱ�� Boulder has received recognition by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) as an ��exemplary admissions practice that promotes diversity in engineering.��

This recognition has been combined with an opportunity for GoldShirt Program facilitators and other colleges around the country to share knowledge and resources to increase diversity in admissions processes. Phil Courey, GoldShirt Program manager, looks forward to the collaboration:

��My hope is that the GoldShirt Program and other programs recognized can expand awareness about what we��re doing, to network and learn from one another and generate support around access in admissions.��

What is GoldShirt?

The GoldShirt Program is an admissions and education process housed within the BOLD (Broadening Opportunity through Leadership and Diversity) Center in the College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS). It was created in 2009 and provides a path to engineering for students traditionally underrepresented in the college.

Students are chosen for the first-year GoldShirt cohort from their motivation to succeed and desire to belong to an inclusive community. They stay in a Living and Learning Community and participate in activities and seminars that foster a support system of other students and mentors. The program also provides students with strategies for academic success and connects them to resources and opportunities on campus and in the wider community.

The GoldShirt Program is modeled after the concept of redshirt athletes who, as team members in their first year, spend much time preparing and improving athletically before fully participating in all team activities.

A Possibility Model

Through the program, 374 students have come into CEAS who would have before been denied access to engineering. With the opportunity to present at NAE, Tanya Ennis��director of the BOLD Center and former director of the GoldShirt Program��hopes to shift the discussion around diversity in engineering.

��There��s so much potential in these students. If we can just change the conversation about who belongs in engineering, we can do so much. My hope is that we can convince people at the conference that this is doable! Yes, it��s a lot of work, but the rewards are incredible.�� Ennis said.

Courey sees those rewards every day.

��These students are incredibly driven academically to perform well. They also really take advantage of the opportunities available to get involved in extracurricular activities, to grow. They maximize their experience here in ways that definitely impact their peers and the broader work of faculty and staff in the college.��

(Alexandra) Grace Wilson is the BOLD Center Communications Coordinator in the College of Engineering & Applied Science.

Through the Engineering GoldShirt Program, 374 students have gained access to engineering. With the opportunity to present at NAE, facilitators hope to shift the discussion around diversity in engineering.

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GoldShirt students plunge into engineering

Anonymous — Thu, 13 Jul 2017 18:32:58 +0000

GoldShirt students plunge into engineering Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 07/13/2017 - 12:32

Tanya Ennis

Housed within the BOLD Center, the Engineering GoldShirt program is designed to provide a performance-enhancing year for students who would otherwise be underprepared for engineering study.

GoldShirt prepares students for success in a traditional engineering program through a carefully tailored first-year curriculum, development of a strong sense of community, and close mentoring and support throughout their degree programs. Included in the strategic plan for the College of Engineering and Applied Science is a vision to increase diversity, and part of this vision is to grow the GoldShirt program.

Our annual Summer Bridge program runs from July 7 through July 21. We are welcoming 43 new students, their families (for the first day) and 10 GoldShirt student mentors. We will kick off the program with an assessment day and a challenge and teambuilding course in Gold Hill, ��ֱ�� (some of these students have never been to the mountains).

Students will learn a variety of engineering skills in engineering workshops hosted by the Integrated Teaching and Learning Lab (ITLL), design, build and test SARAs (search and rescue assistants), develop their spatial visualization skills and sharpen their abilities in mathematics and physics. The skills that they learn in this program will empower them as they pursue their engineering degrees.

Special thanks to Sandra Williams from the applied math department for teaching the online WebAssign mathematics course, the engineering plus program, faculty and the ITLL for designing curriculum and instructing the incoming GoldShirt students during the summer bridge program.

Students will spend time networking with faculty and staff, register for fall courses, and take an industry tour (students will attend one of four company tours in small groups). At the end of the program, students will present their SARAs at a design expo.

Tanya Ennis is the director of the Engineering GoldShirt program.

The following pictures were taken at ��ֱ�� Mountain Ranch in Gold Hill, ��ֱ�� on Sunday, July 9, 2017.

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GoldShirt program engineering success

Anonymous — Thu, 08 Jun 2017 06:00:00 +0000

GoldShirt program engineering success Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 06/08/2017 - 00:00

In college athletics, players are often redshirted. They are enrolled but not competing, and that gives them more time to prepare. Tanya Ennis, director of the Engineering GoldShirt Program, says like redshirting, the GoldShirt-ed engineering students are preparing for the rigors of school. ��They are pumping iron much like football players�� to sharpen their skills.

The GoldShirt Program supports motivated and talented students who need additional math, science and humanities preparation before diving into the full undergraduate engineering curriculum. It is a helping hand from mentors, faculty and staff.

The program was started in the fall of 2009, and the sixth cohort class began the fall of 2014. ��We are seeing improvement with each class in academics, mentoring, engagement, research and internships,�� Ennis says.

This fall, 106 students were enrolled. In total, 166 students have started since 2009. Many of them are first-generation college students, or women and minority students who are underrepresented in engineering.

A summer bridge program gets students on campus early to adjust to college life. They make lasting friendships and the academic life begins. The freshman year has a custom first-year curriculum that provides 15 credit hours toward an engineering degree.

Elizabeth Lor graduated in May 2014. She says the program was a gateway to success and gave her opportunities that never would have crossed her path, including an internship in her freshman year.

Lor is back at Boulder in the master��s program in computer science in bio and medical informatics. She works for ITS Corp., which provides information technology for the health care industry.

��What attracted me to the program was the good vibe from the directors and the ability to go straight into the engineering college,�� Lor says.

Amalia Lopez graduated in May with a degree in chemical engineering. Engineering and the GoldShirt Program changed her life. She moved to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic when she was 11. English was a second language. ��The thought of college seemed out of reach,�� she says. ��The GoldShirt program allowed me to enter engineering. Thanks to the resources and help I received from everyone in my college career, I was able to graduate college debt-free.�� She is a production engineer for ConocoPhillips in Houston.

��It is a village of people who are supporting these students to succeed,�� Ennis says.

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How ��ֱ�� pioneered its engineering redshirt program

Anonymous — Tue, 02 Dec 2014 07:00:00 +0000

How ��ֱ�� pioneered its engineering redshirt program Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 12/02/2014 - 00:00

Katherine Long

Today at noon, we��ll be doing a Google+ hangout to talk more about the Washington State Academic Red Shirt program, or STARS, which is helping to boost the number of women and minority students studying engineering at the University of Washington and Washington State University. A story about the program appeared in Monday��s Seattle Times.

The program was modeled after a similar program at the University of ��ֱ��-Boulder, which is in its fifth year. The director of that program, Tanya Ennis, will be joining us.

��ֱ��-Boulder calls its program the GoldShirt program, not only because gold is one of the school��s colors, but also because ��we look at the students as a treasure,�� Ennis said. (The idea is the same, though �� give selected students from low-income schools an extra year of preparation to help them succeed in engineering.)

A few things are different about the ��ֱ�� program: Students are required to stay in on-campus housing for two years (the UW requires one year). The program has also been putting more money into scholarships so that students don��t have to work during the school year. In effect, ��ֱ��-Bolder asks them: ��How much money would it take for you not to work?�� Ennis said.

In many other respects, though, the two programs are very similar. Ennis describes the program, which mostly serves students who are the first in their families to go to college, as ��trying to advise students on life.�� They learn the importance of deadlines, good study habits (��you need to be studying double-digit hours to be preparing for exams��) and getting to know professors personally by visiting them during office hours, Ennis said.

She coaches students about talking to a professor about a bad grade on an exam �� many professors will allow a student to retake an exam, but only if the student brings it up, she said. She encourages them to be more assertive in the financial aid office to make sure they��re getting all the aid they need. And she helps them apply for internships �� even going so far as to show them exactly what they should wear to an in interview.

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UW gives 'redshirt engineers' 5-year program

Anonymous — Mon, 01 Dec 2014 07:00:00 +0000

UW gives 'redshirt engineers' 5-year program Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 12/01/2014 - 00:00

Katherine Long

SEATTLE (AP) - When she got the letter in summer 2013, Courtney Seto thought it sounded too good to be true.

A free program that offered automatic acceptance into the University of Washington��s engineering school? Did everyone get this letter?

Seto had already been accepted to the UW as an incoming freshman, but she expected to apply to the College of Engineering at the end of her sophomore year, competing against a thousand other UW students, of which only about 55 percent get in.

So Seto set the letter aside - until somebody at the UW called and convinced her it was for real.

Now in her sophomore year, Seto has already been accepted into the industrial engineering department, thanks to the UW��s State Academic Red Shirt program, or STARS.

In an idea borrowed from college athletics called redshirting, STARS enrolls promising engineering students - many of them women and minorities - to give them an additional year of collegiate academic work before they��re ready for the big time. A similar program is in its second year at Washington State University.

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Video chat on diversity in STEM education

Anonymous — Sun, 30 Nov 2014 07:00:00 +0000

Video chat on diversity in STEM education Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 11/30/2014 - 00:00

Caitlin Moran

On Tuesday, the Education Lab team hosted a Google+ Hangout about diversity in STEM and what some universities are doing to help more people of color and first-generation students earn degrees in fields like computer science and engineering.

The video chat was tied to a Monday story by Katherine Long about programs at the University of Washington and Washington State University that give disadvantaged engineering students a fifth year to complete academic prep work to put them on equal footing with those students from more privileged backgrounds.

Called State Academic Red Shirt, or STARS, the program is modeled after the practice in college athletics of giving students an extra year to reach their full potential.

Long moderated Tuesday��s video chat. Joining her were the following panelists:

Courtney Seto, a UW sophomore who began the STARS program in the fall of 2013 and has been accepted into the university��s industrial engineering department
Tanya Ennis, director of the Engineering GoldShirt program at the University of ��ֱ�� at Boulder, a school that pioneered the academic redshirt concept six years ago.
Trish Millines Dziko, founder/CEO of the Technology Access Foundation, a local nonprofit that helps prepare students of color for college-level coursework and future careers in STEM fields
Dawn Wiggin Esselstrom, associate director in the College of Engineering Student Academic Services at UW

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Engineering GoldShirt Program serves as model for other universities

Anonymous — Fri, 26 Sep 2014 06:00:00 +0000

Engineering GoldShirt Program serves as model for other universities Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 09/26/2014 - 00:00

The University of ��ֱ�� Boulder��s Engineering GoldShirt Program continued in its goal of becoming a model for other universities, recently hosting three representatives from Texas A&M who are interested in developing a similar academic redshirting program in their engineering college.

The GoldShirt Program, which graduated members of its first cohort in December 2013, supports motivated and talented students who need additional math, science, or humanities preparation before diving into the full undergraduate engineering curriculum. For the five-year curriculum, students are directly admitted into the College of Engineering and Applied Science; attend a summer bridge session between high school and college; and spend their first year focusing on preparing for success in their chosen engineering major.

The GoldShirt Program has already been used as a model for the STARS Program at the University of Washington and Washington State University, which was launched in 2013.

During their visit to ��ֱ��-Boulder, the representatives from Texas A&M met with GoldShirt Program Director Tanya Ennis and a panel of seven GoldShirt students who now serve as peer mentors for the program. The students shared their biggest challenges in transitioning from high school to college and their experiences in GoldShirt. Most spoke about the importance of the summer bridge session and the sense of community they built with other GoldShirt students.

The meeting left the Texas A&M representatives buzzing with excitement about GoldShirt features they could implement in their college.

��One of the most beneficial parts of the meeting was having that student panel,�� said Monica Cortez, director of Texas A&M��s Engineering Academy and Workforce Development programs. ��They are such great ambassadors, and are clearly a key in the capture rate for the program.��

Cortez said they will be considering aspects of the program like the summer bridge, extending residential hall requirements into the sophomore year, and building a sense of community with their students.

Ennis said the group invited her to visit Texas A&M later this year and seemed enthusiastic about exploring the program further.

��At ��ֱ��, we are passionate about helping these students succeed, and it��s good to see that passion exists at other universities,�� she said.

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'Redshirting' in engineering

Anonymous — Mon, 20 May 2013 06:00:00 +0000

'Redshirting' in engineering Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 05/20/2013 - 00:00

Zack Budryk

Following the success of academic ��redshirting�� -- derived from an athletic term for delaying participation to improve readiness -- at the College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of ��ֱ�� at Boulder, other universities are adopting the model.

Boulder��s GoldShirt program, which began in 2009, identifies high school graduates who need time to catch up on math, science and humanities courses before proceeding to the full undergraduate engineering curriculum. As part of the five-year curriculum, students spend their first year with an eye toward preparation for the major before proceeding to the typical engineering courses.

Tanya Ennis, director of the program, said in an interview that the GoldShirt program promotes diversity and helps the engineering program admit some students it would otherwise have to reject. "We had students that were applying, but weren��t getting in," Ennis said. "There were a few people [who said] ��What if we had a place to bring students in to develop them in the first year?�� kind of like the athletic redshirt program."

Students within the program take a combination of classes specifically for them and regular courses with students in the College of Engineering and Applied Science; Ennis noted that the program was "moving to more of a model where they��re included in [more] mainstream courses."

At the end of the fall semester, Ennis added, GoldShirt will see its first graduate, who will be finishing the program in only 4.5 years and graduating summa cum laude. Retention rates for those in the program are similar to those of the engineering college's other students.

GoldShirt's recruitment pool is drawn from unsuccessful applicants to the College of Engineering and Applied Science, through an interview process in collaboration with the admissions office. GoldShirt students are also awarded a renewable scholarship of $2,500 a year, designed to help offset the costs of an additional year of college. Ennis said that GoldShirt classes are typically around 32 students, and that "this year will be our largest class at 34."

With an eye on GoldShirt��s success, the University of Washington and Washington State University have announced that they will be collaborating on their own respective redshirting programs, both under the banner of the Washington State Academic RedShirts (STARS) in Engineering Program. STARS is funded by a National Science Foundation grant as part of an effort to increase retention rates within engineering and computer science programs. Eve Riskin, associate dean of engineering at the University of Washington, said that the program had a ready-made recruitment pool in the university��s Mathematics Academy. In this program, rising high school seniors live on campus for a month and receive intensive math instruction. Underrepresented minorities are specifically targeted for the program.

��We were thinking this one month would be enough and everyone would do well and live happily ever after but some students �� have struggled,�� Riskin said in an interview. ��That��s why we wished we had more time �� with the students.��

Part of the problem for low-income engineering majors, Riskin said, is that ��[i]f you��re at an underserved high school, there��s a lot of focus on helping the kids graduate �� you can get all As [at an underserved school] and then you come here and you��re in for a big shock.�� This is particularly problematic for engineering, since ��there��s a lot of emphasis placed in engineering on how they do in the first couple of quarters.�� According to the American Society for Engineering Education, between 40 and 50 of engineering majors drop out or switch majors, and like Riskin, the ASEE��s research cites difficult curriculum as one of the most common reasons for this.

This ��make-or-break�� aspect of the first year of engineering is also the rationale for the extra year, Riskin said. ��There��s always been this idea about the ��weed-out�� courses,�� she said. ��People just assume that those define whether or not you can be an engineer based on your grade in there.��

As a result, Riskin said, many students who have great potential as engineers are overlooked. ��If we find people from underserved backgrounds or challenging circumstances who succeeded despite their lack of privilege when we put them in an engineering context that supports them, they can go on and be fabulous engineers,�� she said.

��The traditional stereotypical engineering image is not necessarily appealing to everybody, so what we do is�� talk about [how] engineers are creative problem-solvers�� they make a world of difference�� and we know for a lot of our different populations, those messages resound with them,�� Ennis said. ��I think that brings in a whole different kind of student.��

Riskin said she hoped that underrepresented minority students would make up half of STARS enrollees. ��We want students who are highly motivated, excited about engineering, who could just use that extra support,�� she added.

��[Students] have totally bought into what it means to mentor and how to help students become more successful by learning from what their experiences have been,�� Ennis said.

��I think [redshirting in engineering programs] has very high potential as it builds on a proven academic model and also incorporates psycho-social components that also have demonstrated effectiveness,�� said Norman Fortenberry of the American Society for Engineering Education. ��I think the model is broadly applicable beyond�� where it currently exists.��

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GoldShirt

Katelynn Thammavong: A Community Leader

Crossing Bridges

Stopping Stigma

Crafting Hope

Leading Community

Facing the Future

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Leah Rivera: A helper with a passion for justice

A plunge into the unknown

Facing a failure

Fostering success

Empowerment for all

Gratitude and hope

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Engineering GoldShirt Program recognized by National Academy of Engineering

What is GoldShirt?

A Possibility Model

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GoldShirt students plunge into engineering

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GoldShirt program engineering success

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How ����ֱ�� pioneered its engineering redshirt program

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UW gives 'redshirt engineers' 5-year program

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Video chat on diversity in STEM education

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Engineering GoldShirt Program serves as model for other universities

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'Redshirting' in engineering

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How ��ֱ�� pioneered its engineering redshirt program