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The National Science Foundation established the Rising Scholars program to demonstrate how the cultivation of mentor support networks could promote the matriculation and retention of qualified low socio-economic students into STEM fields. Rising Scholars students are those individuals with low socio-economic status that have distinguished themselves academically in secondary education and wish to move into a collegiate STEM major. The overarching goal of this NSF S-STEM effort was to determine if professional-based mentors could help an individual make-up for a lack of ‘institutional’ collegiate knowledge within their own family and friends. Under this program, twenty-one incoming exploratory studies students, across three years, who had expressed an interest in engineering were provided with a defined path of social and professional activities in college, where they engaged in numerous experiential activities, including on-campus research and internships. The overall goal of this defined path was to introduce the students to potential mentors within technical fields, who might later assist the students with their own careers. Rising Scholars students were sent to the Minority Engineering Program’s Academic Boot Camp, prior to entering school as freshmen, and they were scheduled for annual seminars and continuing social events to provide group cohesiveness. While many elements of keeping the students on the designated path where they could co-mingle with potential mentors was difficult, finding paid work experience for the students was particularly challenging. COVID-19 negatively affected the ability of these students to find professional employment, but some of students truly excelled in collegiate Professional Practice. Anecdotal experiences and data from employment-based activity of the Rising Scholars program are presented. Some students from the program remain actively working toward completing college, but to-date graduation and entry-level employment data are provided. 

The Rising Scholars program was established by the National Science Foundation to promote the matriculation and retention of qualified low socio-economic students into STEM fields through the cultivation of their mentor support networks. Rising Scholars students were provided with a scholarship and had a defined path of activities in college designed to enhance their professional mentoring network. They were prearranged to participate in a pre-freshman academic bootcamp, an on-going faculty-directed research project, a self-directed research project, and an internship. Students attended seminars and produced written reflections of their various individual experiences on the path to a professional career. Three cadres of 21 students total, who had expressed a previous interest in engineering, were admitted to a general studies program and provided intensive guidance and an active social group. The Rising Scholars students were successful overall at remaining in a STEM discipline, but their path through college also intersected with the COVID pandemic. These results indicated that strongly supported students faired the social disruption better than their less well supported colleagues. Academic results for the Rising Scholars students against their matched pair grouping for graduation rate and GPA will be presented. Several students interviewed after graduation all professed that they believe they would not have graduated from Purdue and probably would not have attended in the first place. In turn, they would not have their current positions without the Rising Scholars Program. 

The National Science Foundation established the Rising Scholars program at Purdue University to promote the cultivation of professional mentor support networks for qualified low socio-economic students in STEM fields. In collaboration between the Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department and the Minority Engineering Program, Rising Scholars students, in three cadres of 21 students total, were recruited from general admissions to the institution, who had previously expressed an initial desire for engineering. These students were provided with a defined path of activities in college designed to enhance their professional mentoring networks among STEM specialists. Rising Scholars students were provided with a partial scholarship and intensive academic guidance. These students participated in multiple networking and social activities sponsored by the program administrators. Academic results for the Rising Scholars students against their matched pair grouping for graduation rate and GPA will be presented. Students who socialized well and developed stronger social networks within the high-touch, student-centric environment fared better academically and outperformed their matched pair direct-to-engineering admits to the university. Small-to-moderate sized academic engineering departments are well-suited to provide a similar nurturing culture for support and belonging that can help all students succeed.