First Gen Latinas in STEMprenuers
First Gen Latinas in STEMprenuers: October 6th, 2021 5:30 - 7:30 Zoom Event
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Center for Diversity and Gender Studies at Texas State University is planning a day to celebrate the achievements of First-Generation Latinas in STEMpreneurs. Our aim is to bring awareness to the underrepresentation/disparities in the Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) workforce, where Hispanics represent 8% of STEM employment and lower for Latinas. Our goal is to highlight Latina STEM professionals who will share their personal and career backgrounds, academic, and STEMpreneur paths. We aim to inspire important discussions about their journey with college and high school students who are interested in STEM careers and entrepreneurship.
Share your stories of being a First-Generation Latina STEMpreneur or RSVP for this event by filling out the form(s) at the bottom of this webpage!
Co-Sponsors
Special Thanks to all of our collaborating sponsors!
Event Co-Chairs

Micaela Vargas, Ph.D.
Lecturer, TXST Department of Biology, VidaBio, LLC, Founder
Maria Resendiz, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Associate Professor, TXST Department of Communication Disorders
Panelists

Keila E. Torres, M.D., PH.D., FACS
Associate Professor, Department of Surgical Oncology, Division of Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Sniffing for the Cure and Comparative Oncology Solutions, Founder

Melissa Alanis, M.S., CCC-SLP
Bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist at Northeast Baptist Hospital in San Antonio
Samantha Huerta
Premier Field Engineer at Microsoft, LatinaGeeks President, Los Angeles, California
Moderator and Honoring Posthumous

Moderator
Elsa Gonzales, PH.D. Associate Professor of Higher Education in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Houston
Honoring Posthumous
Dora Menchaca, PH.D., Director of Clinical Research, Amgen
The 45-year-old mother of two had worked at Amgen’s Thousand Oaks headquarters since 1991, helping to develop new and better drugs to battle cancer and pneumonia.
Young Women in Bio Ambassadors

Marith D.
Eastside Early College High School, Austin, Texas.

Swara K.
Plano West High School, Plano, Texas