Miami, June 14, 2021 – Miami Dade College (MDC) Padrón Campus graduate, Estefano Reyes, who earned a degree in computer science last month, has been selected to participate in the prestigious Station1 Frontiers Fellowship (SFF), a fully-funded, ten-week summer experience for undergraduate students that integrates education and research in science and technology, rooted in social inquiry, inclusion, and equity.
As part of the fellowship, Reyes will participate in a virtual internship with Deliberate AI, where he will join a team of entrepreneurs working on software to support and enlighten mental health practices.
Born in Valencia, Venezuela, Reyes, 22, arrived in Miami in 2016 with his family in search of a better life. Due to his limited English, he wasn’t able to begin his studies right away.
“It was a bit confusing at the beginning for me; I didn’t know how things worked. I didn’t even know how to complete an application for college,” Reyes said.
But then he found MDC and his life changed. Not only did he become the first in his family to attend college, but he also found a community that helped him maximize his potential and eventually achieve a 4.0 GPA. He was accepted into MDC’s Dual Language Honors College and became active with several student organizations and activities, including Sigma Zeta National Science & Mathematics Honors Society, where he served as president, TriBeta, Phi Theta Kappa and Student Government Association, to name a few.
“I am very happy I found MDC. It prepares you as a person and as a citizen and it also prepares you for the academic dream that you want to pursue. They made me feel like I was home,” Reyes said.
In addition to receiving his MDC diploma last month, Reyes was also one of only four MDC students to receive a coveted Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship, a highly competitive national scholarship that provides students with up to $55,000 a year to complete their bachelor’s degree.
“Estefano has been an important part of our community from day one, open to new ideas, not afraid of working hard, accepting research projects in areas not comfortable for him. He is very deserving of this selection and his JKC award. The HC provides every level of opportunity, but in the end the students must be willing – Estefano was always willing. He makes us very proud,” said Magda J. Castineyra, Director, Dual Language Honors College at MDC’s Padrón Campus.
Reyes, who enjoys encouraging fellow students and tutoring classmates, plans to pursue a career in either robotics for space exploration or artificial intelligence within the medical field. He will continue his studies in the fall at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Unique in the nation and in the world, the Station1 Frontiers Fellowship (SFF) includes an exciting research internship in emerging areas of science and technology, a cross-interdisciplinary shared curriculum on socially directed science and technology, and personal and professional advancement activities including inclusive leadership and collaboration, scientific and technical communication, networking, and more. The Fellowship was established by Station1, a nonprofit higher education institution that is paving a pathway of opportunity through a new model of learning and research – socially-directed science and technology. For more information visit www.station1.org.