(Photo by Don Kadair)
Patrick Cavell
Systems engineer, Cisco Systems
With not enough people choosing careers in science, technology, engineering and math, information technology professional Patrick Cavell is helping to build the next generation of STEM employees through his volunteer efforts.
Cavell, a systems engineer with Cisco Systems, says one of the objectives of STEMup BR, a nonprofit education organization established in 2013 with which he volunteers, is to provide STEM mentoring to middle school students within the East Baton Rouge Parish School System. Reaching a child in high school is really too late, he says.
This spring, Cavell and a team of roughly 10 STEM professionals taught six classes to Broadmoor Middle School eighth-graders. The curriculum focused on the effects of runoff water in urban landscapes and what technologies could be applied to combat the issue.
While Cavell’s team was teaching an environmental science curriculum, other volunteer teams were teaching math or computer-based lessons, he says.
“Hopefully, the outcome is these kids can start saying, ‘I, too, can be a STEM professional,’” Cavell says.
The United States faces a deficiency of people choosing careers in STEM areas. In Louisiana, about 69,000 STEM job vacancies will emerge by 2018.
“Where are we going to get all these grads?” Cavell asks. “STEM is extremely important to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and the United States. Cisco Systems is a STEM company. If we can’t bring those individuals to our company, it’s going to be to our detriment.”
The classes were taught during the workday, and Cavell says his managers were supportive of his volunteering. “Cisco Systems has a big STEM initiative,” he says. “We realize from a corporate perspective we have to nurture and deliver STEM graduates.”
Cavell was excited about the teaching aspect of this particular volunteer opportunity.
“My trepidation was that I was not going to connect with these kids, but it worked,” he says. “The kids were receptive. The more we came back, they started bonding with us. The relationships were there, and they got excited.”
The nonprofit is always looking for more volunteers.
“The more mentors there are, the more one-on-one attention for the kids, support and guidance,” Cavell says. “The idea of getting in front of middle schoolers might be intimidating, but you won’t be by yourself. You’ll be with a team.”
Visit STEMupBatonRouge.org or email STEMup@FoundationEBR.org to learn more about how to become involved.
—Emily Kern Hebert
