CSTEP Students Create Maker Faire "Must Have"

Students in OCC's Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) created quite a buzz at the recent Maker Faire Syracuse. They helped event attendees solder together light up robot pins which they could keep and wear. Throughout the course of the day the pins became "a thing" at the event. "Whenever I bumped into someone who made one, they were proud to show me their pin," said Maker Faire Syracuse Coordinator Pauline Lynch Shostack. "OCC's station was really hopping the entire day."

In the week leading up to the event, CSTEP students gathered on campus in the Whitney Applied Technology Center and learned how to solder the robot pin. That lesson helped them teach Maker Faire Syracuse attendees how to solder the battery clip and two LED lights to the pin. Dairyona Mitchell was one of 13 student volunteers from OCC's CSTEP and LSAMP (Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation) programs who volunteered at the Maker Faire. "Kids came over, we would put on their safety glasses, do a demonstration with them, then guide them as they did the rest."

Fellow student Noor Noor joined Mitchell at OCC's station, helping people solder their robot pins. "It was quite busy. Students, parents, and their colleagues came from all over the city. It was nice to be involved in that atmosphere filled with joy and sharing experiences of that kind. All of the young people were so excited. It was very profound."

OCC's participation in Maker Faire Syracuse was part of CSTEP's annual Day of Service during which students interact with the community and share skills learned during their college experience. The organization is celebrating 35 years of helping enrich students education experiences, and Mitchell and Noor are two of its biggest supporters.

Mitchell is a 2017 graduate of the Syracuse Academy of Science who earned a bachelor's degree at Buffalo State, but decided to come to OCC and enroll in the Mathematics & Science degree program while she works toward her goal of Pharmacy school. "CSTEP has helped me a lot. When I was at Buffalo State, I didn't really have a community there. Here, CSTEP was very inviting. They helped with my grades and my sense of belonging. They provided a lot of support with everything."

Noor attended high school in Brooklyn before coming up to OCC. He's a Mathematics & Science major and a member of the college's first group of Meg O'Connell Social Justice Scholars. CSTEP has been critical in his development as well. "It has shaped my experience. I had never lived outside of the city before. It helped all of us from different backgrounds communicate and feel a sense of belonging in a new place, and it helped with my academics too."