SECOP Provides Powerful Opportunities

Minorities and women tend to be underrepresented in science and engineering fields but LMU’s Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering is working to change that.

LOS ANGELES, July 18, 2007 —Loyola Marymount University hosts the Science and Engineering Community Outreach Program (SECOP), which brings some 30 underrepresented minority high school students to campus for two weeks to improve their science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills.

SECOP students attend classes taught by LMU professors, take field trips to Northrop Grumman and learn to work collaboratively. The program also provides students with important college information about SATs, admission requirements and scholarships.

“As part of the Young Black Scholars program in high School, I was chosen for SECOP, and being at LMU for two weeks gave me a new perspective on what I wanted to do and what college was all about. And it gave me the confidence to know I could achieve my goals,” says Ashley Brumfield, a SECOP alumna.

"This program is unique because we reach out to kids who have little access to information about careers in science and engineering," says Barbara Christie, director of SECOP. “The results are amazing. The students realize that being strong in math and science can lead to a lucrative and rewarding career in engineering, biomedical research or a health-related field.”

This year’s SECOP students hail from eight L.A.-area high schools: Westchester, City Honors, Sacred Heart, Verbum Dei, Culver City, City of Angels, Daniel Murphy and Salesian High School.

SECOP’s track record is worthy of note: 100 percent of the students have gone on to attend college, some at LMU, such as Leslie Wall. Wall says SECOP changed her life. “This program showed me what engineering was like, and what college was all about. SECOP inspired me to do my own research and to consider the possibilities,” says Wall. Wall graduated from LMU in May 2007 and now serves as the program’s assistant director.

This year, SECOP will receive the second installment in a three-year $250,000 grant from the state of California. On Friday, July 20, Richard G. Plumb, dean of the Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering, will receive the check for $80,000. “The only way to lead a vibrant future in science is by taking a vested interest in seeing all students succeed,” says Plumb.

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