This was my first time attending SACNAS, and it gave me the chance to explore an area of STEM I hadn’t interacted with much before. Most of my experience is centered around statistics and data science, so being in a space focused on life sciences and bio research introduced me to perspectives and applications that were new to me.
Ambassador Reflections
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· Event: SACNAS · Ambassador: Hannah Aguilar
This was my first time attending SACNAS and I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to do so. On the first day I attended, a mariachi led a procession of attendees from the keynote speaker’s event to the exhibition hall with recruiters and graduate program representatives. As an indigenous Latinx woman I am often not in spaces where my culture is represented.
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· Event: SACNAS · Ambassador: Wengel Semma
This year was my second time attending the SACNAS conference, and it made me pause and think about how much has changed since my first visit. Back then, I was a senior in college trying to figure out my next steps and learn about graduate programs. I didn’t expect the conference to be the place that pushed me to actually apply.
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· Event: AFROTECH · Ambassador: Sharazad Ali
As a Black woman in tech, attending AFROTECH has always been a dream of mine. For years, I had heard about how empowering and community-driven the conference was; and after finally being able to experience it in person, I can confidently say that it exceeded all my expectations. AFROTECH was the perfect balance of professionalism and actual genuine, meaningful conversations.
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· Event: SACNAS · Ambassador: Donjhai Holland
This year marked my third time attending SACNAS, and somehow it still didn’t cease to amaze me. I’ll be honest, coming in, I was nervous. I kept hearing about conferences struggling with low industry attendance, and I worried this year might not be as meaningful.
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· Event: GMiS · Ambassador: Hannah Aguilar
The mission of the Great Minds in STEM Conference is to provide “STEM education, outreach and recognition programs that create awareness, spur readiness, and celebrate success!” I believe the conference stayed true to this mission. This event celebrated successful and cutting-edge research of students in various programs across the country.
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· Event: Tapia Conference · Ambassador: Sharazad Ali
The mission of the TAPIA conference as quoted is a noble one, and it was a great pleasure for me to experience it in-person. While at the conference, I was able to interact with many companies and schools, but I found myself having the most fun when speaking to talented, young students from a variety of backgrounds.
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· Event: Tapia Conference · Ambassador: Ryann Alvarez
This was my first time attending the TAPIA Conference. In fact, it was my very first computing-related conference. Coming from an undergraduate background in psychology, I’ve attended many social science conferences, but TAPIA provided something unique with its blend of computing, data science, and diversity in STEM. With that being said, I came ready to learn.
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· Event: Tapia Conference · Ambassador: Madison MacDonald
In my role as an Outreach Peer Ambassador, I had the privilege of attending the CMD-IT/TAPIA Conference in Grapevine, Texas. Over the two days of September 2025 that I attended, I had the chance to connect with more than thirty students at our department’s booth during the career fair sessions. These conversations went beyond program logistics.