Jamora's Story

While in high school, I was very interested in STEM and sought out opportunities to join organizations that would help me advance my interest in these fields. I participated in numerous local youth-focused STEM organizations in my hometown of Miami and throughout South Florida, which allowed me to rapidly build my knowledge and skill sets, as well as provided me with a platform to expand my activities through membership on youth advisory boards in national STEM organizations, such as NGCP.

A major benefit of participating in NGCP was exposure to a network of highly accomplished women, willing to serve as role models and mentors in my academic and professional development.

This guidance and support helped elevate me to a role as a national youth STEM ambassador, giving me the chance to attend STEM events across the country. I have had several opportunities to be a featured guest speaker, moderate panel discussions, participate on planning committees, and serve as an official conference host.

These experiences not only helped my overall STEM growth but also greatly influenced my decision to attend Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) and pursue a degree in Controlled Environmental Agriculture - concentrating in Food Biofortification - with the goal of becoming a NASA Space Farmer.  

To date, one of the greatest honors resulting from my STEM involvement is the invitation in October 2024 to serve as a Co-Principal Investigator on a team of STEM professionals - Anita Krishnamurthi (Afterschool Alliance; Principal Investigator), Amanda Sullivan (NGCP; Co-Principal Investigator), and Katie Taylor (University of Washington; Co-Principal Investigator) - in submitting a grant proposal titled “Beyond Individual Impacts: Identifying Characteristics of Youth STEM Programs that Yield Community-Level Impacts” to the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The three-year project, which will conduct a study of programs operating at the intersection of out-of-school-time or afterschool STEM learning, teen leadership, and community engagement, was officially awarded funding by the NSF in September 2025 (Award # 2517238).

Though it is definitely a challenge balancing my academic pursuits and research endeavors at Cornell University while also working on our NSF grant team, I love it, and I would not have it any other way!

Jamora Arroyo-Jefferson
Cornell University | Class of 2028
National Girls Collaborative Project | 2023-24