#STEMbassador Senior Spotlight: Shirav Gupta

What made you want to become a STEM Ambassador in the first place?

I do pretty well with working with kids and teaching them, as I have had experience doing so in the past. In my freshmen year, I learned robotics from upperclassmen and it was great to teach my younger peers. I would also be able to get community service hours.

What has been your biggest learning curve as a STEMbassador?

There has been nothing too difficult. The machines were quite beginner-friendly to most high schoolers.

How is being a STEMbassador helping you see potential in your future plans for college or career?

Important parts of being a STEMbassador are patience and management, both of yourself, but also of others. You can also learn how to work better with a group and learn how to better teach younger peers.

What has been your biggest success as a STEMbassador so far?

My biggest success as a STEMbassador is helping a group of four young girls in building a getaway car at the end of a 1 hour 30 minute session.

What are you most proud of from your experiences as a STEM Ambassador?

I am most proud of handling very busy sessions well.

What are your plans for next year?

I am going to Rutgers, New Brunswick, and majoring in Computer Science.

Delran STEMbassadors are Delran High School students selected from applicants because they demonstrated a passion for STEM, and possessed outstanding communication skills. Much like an internship, STEMbassadors have participated in rigorous training within the Delran Innovation & Fabrication Lab space. These learning opportunities are not available to most high school students in our country, since the idea of digital fabrication has only begun to grow in the K-12 sector, to meet the needs of Workforce Development. Delran's STEMbassadors have experienced and now taught others in computer-aided design software in 2D and 3D, including Corel Draw, FabMakerStudio, Tinkercad, etc. STEM Ambassadors have utilized these digital design skills to fabricate on vinyl cutters, 3D printers, laser cutters and die cut machines. While teaching others, including younger students in community outreach programs, and adults in staff professional development programs, STEMbassadors share their expertise with others. We are certain that this platform for intelligent, relevant communication and positive interaction, will encourage our STEMbassadors to be at the forefront of the next generation of STEM innovators.