Background
The UCSB MESA University Program supports undergraduate students through academic support and career readiness programming.
We focus our support on students who are educationally, economically, and geographically challenged. Our services include academic and professional workshops, a summer transition program, internships, scholarships, professional development opportunities, professional conference support, industry tours, group tutoring, and study sessions in our MESA Center at UCSB.
The program is coordinated by the UCSB Office of Education Partnerships (OEP) and supported by UCSB College of Engineering, the University of California Office of the President, UCSB OEP industry partners, foundations, alumni, and donor gifts.
The UCSB MESA University Program maximizes undergraduate students' academic potential to prepare them for careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Campus staff work together to increase students’ awareness and access to graduate degree programs and to promote community service through outreach events and mentoring.
Participant Eligibility:
- Must be an incoming or continuing full-time UC Santa Barbara STEM student.
- Attended an educationally, economically, and geographically challenged school/institution.
- Priority is given to students who participated in MESA at their high school or community college.
Application Information
UC Santa Barbara MESA University Program Application:
https://tinyurl.com/UCSB-MUP-Application
Program Offerings:
For students interested in participating in the program, here is what you can expect:
University students are offered workshops and group study sessions that cover core concepts in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to help maintain high academic achievement.
Peers are encouraged to enroll in the same sections of core STEM classes and to develop communities where they study together and support one another.
Students are encouraged to build both campus-based and international networks that provide access to partner chapters and mentors, and connect with professional organizations offering leadership training, professional guest speakers, UCSB Alumni, and tours of STEM companies.
The MESA Center features a multipurpose space for study sessions, workshops, volunteer meetings, and information sharing.
We offer a variety of professional development workshops covering topics such as enhancing your application for internships, scholarships, graduate school, and jobs; developing networking skills; health and wellness; and comparing graduate school to industry, among others.
M-STP is a 3-week virtual transition program for incoming first-year students and transfer students in the STEM fields. The program aims to expose students to academic rigor, inform them about all the great resources available at UCSB, and help them network with other UCSB students, alumni, and industry partners. To learn more about M-STP, please click here.
MESA Student Assistants
Paola Vargas - 4th Year Earth Science Major
Daisy Contreras-Martinez - 4th Year Data Science Major
Girasol Godoy - 4th Year Biopsychology Major
Rebecca Martinez - 4th Year Environmental Science Major
Edgar Hernandez Mendoza - 3rd Year Electrical Engineering Major
MESA Academic Tutors
Luis Villagomez - 3rd Year Electrical Engineering Major
- Math 2A-B, 3A-B, 4A-B, 6A-B, 8
- Physics 7A-D
- Computer Science 8
- Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) 5, 10A, 15A, 152A, 136A-C, 130A
Priya Kandiyal - Master of Science, Chemistry
- All Chemistry courses
MESA Center (Building 477)
Operation Hours: Monday - Friday from 9 AM - 5 PM, with hours from 5 - 9 PM dependent on student availability, displayed in the calendar below.
Student Organizations
Students are encouraged to participate in various campus student organizations as part of their undergraduate experience. Current partner student organizations we work to advise, support, and collaborate with include:
Donations:
If you wish to donate to the UCSB MESA University Program, please visit here: https://oep.ucsb.edu/give/donate.
Program Contacts:
For further information, please contact the OEP main office at (805) 893-3105 or K-20 Program Coordinator/UCSB MESA University Program Interim Director, Melani Castellanos, at melanicastellanos@ucsb.edu.