Millennium Scholars push closer to goals: Improving diversity in STEM

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Since 2017, Ana de la Fuente Duran has had her eyes fixed on one goal: Becoming a materials scientist.

As a Latina in the field, she’s aware of the odds. She’s walked into rooms to see her eyes turn to the lone woman in the group. And, to see someone from her background, she has to walk into a lot of rooms.

De la Fuente Duran, who graduated from Penn State in 2020 and is now in her fourth year at Stanford University bound for a doctorate in materials science and engineering, she’s closer than ever to entering a career in academia, and to being that person her younger self sees when she enters the room.

De la Fuente Duran was the first in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS) to take advantage of the Millennium Scholars Program (MSP) at Penn State, an elite opportunity designed to help underrepresented individuals earn a doctorate a in STEM field. It comes with support for tuition, room and board, and for academic expenses like research and conferences.

“If my time at Penn State with the Millennium Scholars Program taught me anything, it’s that education and advocacy are invaluable to the success of a diverse body of students and are, therefore, invaluable to the development of a healthy scientific community where everyone is welcome to participate and learn,” de la Fuente Duran said.

EMS has produced 16 graduates through the program, and as many more active students are currently enrolled. This year, for GivingTuesday, the college is aiming to raise funding for two additional Millennium Scholars, largely through a matching donation of $10,000 from Anthony Hutchinson, senior vice president of industry and government relations at VantageScore.

Although GivingTuesday takes place on Tuesday, Nov. 28, Penn State’s celebration is kicking off early on Monday, Nov. 27, at 18:55 (6:55 p.m. EST) — a nod to the year in which the University was founded. Those interested in contributing to EMS’s campaign or establishing a personal fundraising page as a campaign champion can learn more here.

EMS graduates of the Millennium Scholars Program include Delián Colón Burgos, who is pursuing her master’s degree at the Colorado State University Department of Atmospheric Science, with the goal of continuing on to obtain a doctorate focused on tropical meteorology. She graduated from Penn State this spring.

Colón Burgos became fascinated with hurricanes after witnessing the devastation Hurricane Maria caused in her community in Puerto Rico. She wants to improve weather prediction — and our understanding of storms — so that lives can be saved.

“I aspire to work at the National Hurricane Center or in academia and help improve the predictability of the impacts of tropical cyclones through my research,” Colón Burgos said. “MSP gave me the skills needed to perform meaningful research and to be an advocate for inclusive spaces within STEM.”

It was the opportunities that inspired Sofia Hoffman to become a Millennium Scholar. She’s a sophomore studying environmental systems engineering and minoring in geography and wants her career to take her all over the globe.

She knew she wanted to get involved in research early while finding a safety net for the times her STEM curriculum got tough.

Just days into her first year at Penn State, she joined the Brennan Research Group. Soon after, she found a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) opportunity at the University of Miami. In the near future, she'll be heading to Singapore to study abroad and establish those international connections. 

“Being a student in STEM is so difficult, and without a support system, it is nearly impossible,” Hoffman said. “There is so much opportunity for advancement in all disciplines of STEM, but when every person is not invited to the table, we stunt our ability to grow. Having a diverse community of leaders in STEM will provide a more diverse set of solutions, and we need more solutions that are designed for all communities.”

Gifts made on GivingTuesday advance the University’s historic land-grant mission to serve and lead. Through philanthropy, alumni and friends are helping students to join the Penn State family and prepare for lifelong success; driving research, outreach and economic development that grow our shared strength and readiness for the future; and increasing the University’s impact for families, patients and communities across the commonwealth and around the world. Learn more by visiting raise.psu.edu.