For 31 Nevada high school students, summer vacation became an opportunity to explore college life, discover careers in STEM and health and begin developing research projects focused on issues affecting their communities over the upcoming academic year. 

The students participated in the summer research portion of the CBESS program at the University of Nevada, Reno from July 5–24. Across an overall 17-month experience, the program combines residential campus experiences with virtual research preparation, giving students opportunities to build academic and research skills while connecting with university resources and current undergraduate students as they strengthen their bilingualism skills toward STEM and health pathways. 

For many students and their families, the program’s on-campus residential week, July 5–11, marked their first time visiting the University of Nevada, Reno campus. Students stayed in Argenta Hall and participated in the week-long STEM and health-related workshops, hands-on laboratory experiences and activities designed to support their career aspirations, including visits with the Biotechnology Department, Nutrition, School of Medicine Simulation Center, Admissions, Vamos Pack, Pack Pathways, the First-Generation Student Center, Counseling Services, Fitness and Recreational Sports, DeLaMare Library makerspace, Desert Farming Initiative, the Discovery Museum, Community Health Alliance and more.

CBESS students work in a lab classroom.

“Throughout the summer, I saw students’ confidence grow as they connected their interests to new possibilities, and how empowered they felt to pursue goals they once thought were out of reach,” said Kenia Ramirez Moreno, CBESS program coordinator.

The program emphasizes bilingual communication and language development, giving students opportunities to strengthen their Spanish and English skills through oral presentations, laboratory activities, interactive museum exhibits and other programming. Following the residential week, students continued their experience virtually from July 13–24. Through daily Zoom sessions, the students worked as researchers to plan and develop proposed outreach research projects that will focus on STEM and community health issues during the 2026–27 academic year. The students shared their proposed projects during a virtual dissemination event on July 23 and will participate in a culminating poster presentation in spring 2027. 

“Serving as mentors reminded us how important curiosity and opportunity are,” said Sandy Tejeda, who majors in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology and served as an Undergraduate Mentor and CBESS Leadership Trainee. “We loved seeing students light up, ask questions and get excited about STEM careers that they hadn't considered previously.”

CBESS students present a poster in class.

The research experience is designed to help students move beyond learning about research to becoming researchers themselves. By identifying STEM and health issues, developing research questions and planning outreach projects, students are learning how research can be used to better understand and address challenges in their own communities.

“I'm so thankful to have been pushed to join the CBESS program,” said Jiovani Paredes Rosas, who is a rising Fernley High School senior, CBESS student researcher and aspiring civil engineering major. “Throughout this experience, I learned about the many resources the University has to offer that I had no idea about before. The idea of attending college was overwhelming at first, but the CBESS experience completely got rid of that feeling and turned it into excitement.”

CBESS exists to increase bilingualism and geographic diversity in STEM and healthcare fields. Funded by the National Institutes of Health Science Education Partnership Award, CBESS combines hands-on learning, bilingual skill development, college preparation and community-engaged research, while providing high school students with an opportunity to envision themselves as future college students, researchers and leaders. CBESS was formed by the Latino Research Center and School of Medicine, in collaboration with the Raggio Center for Advancement in (STEM)².