Tucked into a corner of the 1000 building is the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement Center, a quiet room for students to study, receive tutoring or simply hang out with friends. What started out as a small group of 30 STEM students has quickly grown into a program of more than 100 students in disciplines from astronomy to zoology.
LPC’s MESA Center was established in 2022. MESA itself is aprogram rooted in Californian history. It started 55 years ago between University of California, Berkeley and Oakland Technical Highschool as an educational pathway for historically underrepresented individuals. LPC’s MESA Center supports both first-generation college STEM students and STEM students who qualify for financial aid.
MESA facilitates academic support through multiple avenues. It hosts textbook loan programs, workshops oriented towards academic and personal development and dedicated counselors who help students shape their education plan and map out transfer pathways. MESA also hosts campus tours where students can visit transfer institutions.
“I was a first-generation college student,” said MESA program coordinator Jason Maxwell. “Nobody told me how to go to school. My family was constantly like, ‘You gotta go to school. Go to school, go to school.’ Nobody tells you how. Nobody tells you what that looks like.”
The MESA Center is key to guiding students and demonstrating that higher education is possible, regardless of a student’s background.
“Looking at the ecosystem of MESA as it relates to the larger LPC campus — 38 of our students are enrolled in EOPS (Extended Opportunity Program and Services), and about 22 of our students are enrolled in the Honors Program,” Maxwell said. “Many of them participate in the Honor Symposium.”
MESA also provides career resources through information sessions.
“A couple weeks ago, we hosted the internship info session, (in which) we had startup companies from the Tri-Valley (come) out to the college to network with students,” Maxwell said. “Hopefully, those networking opportunities will result in internships for some of our students.”
MESA students chase success across multiple disciplines via summer internships and career pathways. “This upcoming summer, we have a student who’s interning at Stanford for their cardiovascular institute,” Maxwell said. “One of our students last year had an internship with Gladstone, which shaped her passion. She is pursuing cancer research at Berkeley.”
While the program itself is charged both academically and professionally, it also serves as a community cornerstone. Noor Ibrahim, MESA club president and third-year computer science major said, “The space has definitely helped me build a community here at LPC. Before joining MESA I was definitely just one of those students who went to class and went home.”
The MESA Club is open for anyone to join, provides similar opportunities as MESA and hosts STEM-related projects. Members are currently building and programming a robot made out of Legos to present at the upcoming Honors Symposium on April 29.
Joining is a relatively simple process. Students can apply via the MESA website.
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TOP PHOTO: LPC students assemble in the MESA Student Center in room 1018 on Apr. 28 in Classroom Building 1000. The MESA Scholars Program is a great asset to underrepresented groups in STEM providing students with workshops, counselors, stipends, internship opportunities, academic tools, tutors and studying facilities. (The Eric Liang/The Express)
Manahil Bajwa is a staff writer for The Express. Follow her on Instagram @manahilbajLPC.
