incoming student resources | College of Science

Meeting students where they are

January 21, 2025

A licensed clinical social worker and University of Utah alumnus, Trujillo is committed to caring for student’s mental and emotional well-being as they explore their identity and pursue their education at the U.

Trujillo is just one member of a larger team of mental health professionals at the University Counseling Center, which provides a variety of therapeutic resources to students, most with zero cost associated. These services range from individual and group counseling sessions to immediate crisis services and everything in between. “At the Counseling Center," says Trujillo, "we're always thinking about new things and how to expand and have a better reach and accommodate the needs of students. And so the embedded model is another piece of that.”

Seeing patterns, creating plans

Steven Trujillo at Sound and Fury music festival in Los Angeles, 2024.

As an embedded therapist, Trujillo aims to integrate his services into the College of Science community — providing students with an accessible mental health resource and a familiar friend well-versed in their needs. “Being here on a regular basis allows me to see patterns in what College of Science students are managing and dealing with,” he explains. “I see a lot of recurring themes of imposter syndrome, perfectionism, and a number of different struggles, so it's helpful to have somebody here who has seen the patterns and can create plans to help manage those experiences.”

For many of the students Trujillo meets the pressures of academic performance can blur the lines between personal worth and educational achievement. “There are a lot of indicators of whether you're 'failing' or not, with grades, GPA, and all of these things." he explains. "And so often, we use those as a measure to determine whether we're succeeding or failing in life. But you can fail a class and still be succeeding in life, right? So a lot of my work is about helping people sort of separate their academic identity from their human identity.”

Though Trujillo works within the academic environment, his therapy sessions aren’t just limited to school subjects. “You don't have to just come here if you're having academic stressors,” he explains. “It can be anything. It can be outside stressors. It can be life transitions. It can be depressive symptoms. It can be symptoms of trauma, grief, or any number of things.”

Getting connected with therapy services is simple — by going to the University Counseling Center’s website, students can make an appointment for their initial consultation, where they'll meet with a therapist for 20-30 minutes who will gather an initial understanding of what they're seeking. From there, they’ll receive a recommendation for services and be connected with a therapist who best fits their needs.

Everyone's going through something

To students who may feel hesitant or nervous about utilizing therapy services, Trujillo wants to emphasize that mental health care is for everyone, regardless of the challenges they face. “There's a reason why we have a whole counseling center on campus, and I say that to try to destigmatize it. Everyone's going through something. This is a really intense environment to be in, the university setting and the academic setting, and it's okay to get support,” he says. Trujillo also highlights the importance of viewing mental health as a routine aspect of self-care. “Maintaining our mental health is not a sign of weakness. It doesn't even have to be an indicator that something's wrong with us. It's just taking care of ourselves in the same way we go to the doctor every year when nothing's wrong to get a check-up. Checking in with our mental health is just as important,” he states.

Students who work with Trujillo can expect to meet an outstanding, caring individual who focuses on fostering trust and connection. “My approach is always the therapeutic relationship first. I want to know who you are, and I want you to feel like you can know who I am, so we can create a relationship where this feels comfortable, inclusive, and safe," he says. "I want people to have a space that feels like it's some reprieve from the day-to-day, where they look forward to it. That's really important to me.”

Outside of his work, Trujillo practices what he preaches by engaging in his own forms of self-care and maintaining a healthy work-life balance. “I am a partner and a father. So I love going home to my family and doing things with them. I love music and going to shows. It's something I've done my whole life and continue to engage in, and it's part of how I take care of myself," he shares. "I also collect retro video games, and I ride a motorcycle which I really enjoy. And engaging with friends, maintaining relationships, that's something that I actively try to do.”

Through his role as embedded therapist, Steven Trujillo is meeting students where they are, and encouraging all of us to make mental health care a part of our regular routine.

Storyteller for the Times

October 9, 2024

Robin Wheelwright and her three daughters celebrating Pride Day.

Wheelwright must mean she loves herself — which is a good thing, of course — because she’s a great storyteller, currently fashioning her own life narrative as well as helping students draft their own as a career coach in the College of Science.

One could argue that every story needs a hero. And Wheelwright has hers: “I am my own hero,” she says. “As a survivor of domestic abuse, I firmly believe that our lives and how we navigate the struggles and hardships are completely up to us. None of it is easy, and I spent many tear-filled nights feeling like I didn’t have it in me to advocate for myself and my kids. But I did. Saving myself and my kids took strength and courage that I didn’t know I had.”

Wheelwright’s path has been a harrowing one toward healing and success, but it has made her not only the editor of her own continuing success story, but the grist for helping others achieve their dreams by drafting their own. Since her arrival at the College of Science last year, Wheelwright has been tasked with providing personalized career coaching to students guiding them through their career journey to ensure they achieve their professional goals.

Her experiences in the role have proven gratifying. One recent example of that is working with a chemistry student whose goal was to attend a graduate program in Korea so she could study Korean skincare. “We worked together on her resume and her interview skills,” reports Wheelwright. “She was quite nervous going into the interview, but after some coaching and mock interviews, she felt more confident in her ability to articulate her experiences and her motivation. After her interview she said, ‘I must have done better than I thought. I was accepted into not one, but three schools!’ I am so excited for her and this opportunity and the many doors this experience will open for her.”

Wheelwright earned both a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s in human resources from Utah State University in Logan. The combined degrees have made her perfectly poised to help students reach their potential as they approach graduation and enter the next phase: their work lives. Career coaching is a little bit of hand-holding and a whole lot of at-your-fingertips resources; a little bit of asking the right questions of your client (and asking them at the right time) and the uncanny ability to help someone see how cool they already are.

Unicorn madness for all ages.

It’s a lot about helping someone find an occupational “fit,” not so that they can rest on their laurels in a static world where everything is customized, but as a stop on the continuum of work that is ever-moving and ever-expanding. In this sense, Wheelwright and her colleagues Laura Cleave and Andrea LeBaron are life coaches, helping individuals develop a skill set that can then be deployed in whatever path they choose.

Wheelwright not only has the training to help students develop this skill set, but also deep, personal experiences that help her to empathize and think innovatively about a person’s options, including those outside the proverbial box. Those encounters with herself followed by deep self-reflection are threaded through the raising of her three daughters, ages 14, 12 and eight — along with a beagle and two kitties — all of whom have their own developing stories in the works just like Wheelwright’s student clients.

Wheelwright’s tastes and interests are as broad and diverse as the range of students she sees and works with. Not only does she love her kids and her pets, but also “Halloween, drag queens, being outdoors, and all things mythical and mysterious; karaoke, board/card games, and being around people who love and support an authentic and genuine life.”

Little wonder then that when she’s asked who her hero in life is, she offers a self-confident response that her career clients can relate to and that they likely need to hear at this inflection point in their lives: “I have a plaque at my desk that reads ‘She needed a hero, so she became one,'" says Robin Wheelwright. "That’s my mantra and it gets me through tough times.”

Now that’s a storyteller most anyone would pull up a pillow for to give a good listen.

by David Pace

2024 U Science Fair Youth Compete Internationally

June 26, 2024

Sierra Sun

As stated by Barb Baker, the host of this year's global event, “Each year, millions of students around the world participate in a global network of local, regional, and national science fairs, where they are encouraged to explore their passion for scientific inquiry.” These pre-college students arrive from over 75 countries, regions, and territories to compete in various STEM fields, from animal sciences to systems software, behavioral and social sciences to physics and astronomy. Such a broad scope ensures that no matter where a student’s interest may lie, they have an avenue to ambitiously pursue their goals.

Sahil Shah

The University of Utah Science and Engineering Fair (USEF) has been preparing and sending students to this prestigious event since 2003, and this year was no exception. Students from five school districts as well as charter, private and parochial schools participated at USEF March 4-7 at the Crocker Science Center where the fair had 470 projects and 592 students. Five high school students were chosen to compete on the global stage in Los Angeles at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) May 11-17, granting these students the valuable experience of viewing and presenting their work to people across the world. In addition, five more high school students were selected to compete at the Genius Olympiad in Rochester, NY June 10-15. We celebrate that their hard work has been rewarded!

Mingchaun Cheng

USEF had three finalists walk away from ISEF with awards. Aadhi Umamageswaran, Sierra Sun, and Sahil Shah all placed 4th within their categories, Aadhi focusing on animal sciences, Sahil on translational medical science, and Sierra on behavioral and social sciences. In addition, Sierra received three special awards totaling $6,500 in cash for her efforts from the American Psychological Association, the National Security Agency Research Directorate and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Aadhi Umamageswara

All five USEF finalists won awards at the Genius Olympiad competition, where projects focus on environmental issues. Arianna Vasquez, Caroline Cook and Angelina Nguyen all received Honorable Mentions and Marina Peng and Krishnam Goel received Silver Awards.

“I am so proud of these students,” says Jody Oostema, USEF’s program director since 2005. “They have each put a lot of time and hard work into their projects over the past year and it’s wonderful to see their efforts rewarded!”

Aidan Yu

Past USEF winners have gone on to attend institutions such as Princeton University, Harvard University, and our own University of Utah. Some have gotten NASA grants to develop prototype robots for exploration of Jupiter’s moon Europa, others lead biotech companies creating protein therapeutics, and others still have joined the hunt for the ever-elusive dark matter.

The 2025 University of Utah Science and Engineering Fair takes place March 10-14, again, at the Crocker Science Center. Visit the USEF website for more information.

By Michael Jacobsen

USEF 2024

February 28, 2024

The documentary series Science Fair, streaming on Disney + and Hulu, has one answer as it takes viewers on a journey with students around the United States and in Zimbabwe as they compete at their local science fairs, in the hopes of earning an opportunity to compete on a global stage at the Regeneron International Science Fair.

In short, you don’t start at the top. Rather, you follow an eligibility 'roadmap', beginning at your local school and district fairs. Students who advance through these fairs are then invited to participate in the University of Utah Science and Engineering Fair (USEF), an important step along the way to national and international competitions.

USEF is an annual science & engineering competition for students in grades 5-12 and is a reboot of the Salt Lake Valley Science and Engineering Fair now permanently hosted by the U’s College of Science. It’s also the first time since the COVID-19 that the fair will be fully in-person.

2018 Award Winner

Judging at the four-day event takes place on March 5, 6, and 7 at the U’s Crocker Science Center located at 1390 President’s Circle in Salt Lake City. The event culminates in an awards ceremony staged this year at Juan Diego Catholic School in Draper on March 8.

Participation in science events such as USEF stimulates students' interest in science and technology while simultaneously promoting the development of communication, decision-making, evaluation of alternative solutions, and critical thinking.

But you probably already know that, and USEF is pleased to showcase the inquisitive nature and scientific discovery of some of the best and brightest young minds from the Canyons, Granite, Murray, Park City, Salt Lake, and Tooele School Districts as well as the Salt Lake Catholic Diocese and all private, home school and charter schools within these boundaries.

“We are thrilled that the 592 students participating this year from eight school districts will be able to see the amazing science labs in the building,” says Jody Oostema, fair manager. “USEF’s numbers are finally getting back up to ‘normal’ after several years bouncing back from COVID,” she adds.

This year UCEF includes 470 projects and 592 students with 217 elementary division projects, 164 junior division projects, and 89 senior division projects. Additionally, there are 373 individual projects and 93 team projects slated to compete. Parents and family members are invited to view all projects 45 minutes before each judging session begins.

The full schedule can be found at https://usef.utah.edu/fair-details

The event “brings together some of the most inquisitive young minds with working scientists and engineers who serve as judges,” says fair director Brenda Mann, “allowing the students to share the results of their hard work and foster discussion between the students and judges.”

2018 Award Winner

She adds, “As a research scientist and engineer [at Marinda Therapeutics], I am thrilled to see high school students from an increased number of schools participating at USEF this year. The high quality of these projects demonstrates the difficult questions or problems to which the students are looking for answers or trying to solve.”

“I can remember competing at this fair as if it was yesterday,” says Julia St. Andre, a former USEF competitor and science communication student at the U. “Among all the nerves and excitement of the day, what stood out to me the most was the incredible community within the fair. Between judging rounds, I spent the time talking and bonding with my fellow competitors, walking around to see each other’s posters. To this day, I remember how impressed I was by the variety of research and creativity I witnessed and the excitement we all felt at getting to share our work and form connections with students from across the state. USEF was a uniquely impactful experience for me, and I am so grateful for it!”

And that is what the Utah Science and Engineering Fair is really all about: looking for answers or trying to solve difficult questions or problems. Sharing one’s science project with other eager students is both challenging and fun. As for that international science fair documented on film, the senior division winners from USEF will be eligible to compete in the Regeneron ISEF.

As the world's largest pre-college science fair, Regeneron ISEF is held each May where more than 1,800 students from over 65 countries gather to display their independent research. USEF is an affiliated fair and will select five projects this year to travel to compete.

Visit the Regeneron ISEF website to learn more.

Read a re-cap of the Science Fair at KSL-TV.

COS Belonging and Community

August 8, 2022

In the College of Science, we recognize that progress thrives on different perspectives, experiences, and talents. We are dedicated to cultivating an environment where all scientists, mathematicians, and engineers come together to work, learn, and push the boundaries of scientific discovery. Our student programs build community and provide opportunities for personal growth and professional development, with the goals of enhancing academic success and preparing students for impactful careers. We create a brighter future for STEM in Utah and beyond.

The Committee on Belonging and Community (CBC) hosts events and promotes practices to increase belonging and community for everyone who learns and works in the College of Science. The CBC also serves in an advisory role to the Dean of the College of Science, facilitates communication and sharing of information among units and coordination with institutional priorities, and pursues college-level initiatives to improve experiences and opportunities for students, postdocs, faculty, and staff. CBC members are appointed by the Dean.