By JACKSON WANG
Executive Editor
There are two dates that Shai Butler will always remember. One is her wedding day, and two is the day she visited the White House in Washington, D.C.
“One does not forget the day when you’re at the White House,” said Butler, who serves as assistant to the president for diversity at Saint Rose.
She attended a high-level event at the White House on advancing STEM fields in education back on Feb. 26. STEM is the education fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Butler was invited for her research on STEM education as a doctoral student at Northeast University, as well as for her job, which involves diversity at Saint Rose.
“I wanted to see how I could play a part in being part of the solution,” said Butler, on the White House Champions of Change event.
She was invited to the workshop after reaching out to the executive director for the White House Initiative of African Americans and Education.
“He was really gracious enough and said, ‘Well, this is an area that we’re interested in at the White House and since you’re studying it and since you have a background in diversity and you can actually bring something to the conversation, it would be a win-win if you come on down and actually joined us for these workshops,’” Butler said.
Butler is currently working on her doctoral thesis to help improve outcomes for economically disadvantaged students majoring in STEM fields in New York state. She’s hoping to help the students by reducing debt, improving academic and career readiness, and increasing employment rates.
She said the event was an opportunity to see what others are doing in the same field to make a difference, while also speaking to technical experts, representatives from minority professional societies, non-profit organizations, administrators, faculty, and students.
“I got to witness some national leaders who are really trailblazers in diversity STEM,” Butler said. “So they were being celebrated and honored for their work in the trenches for years doing this type of work and it was good to see.”
Butler was one of 60 attendees at the workshop “Closing the Gap: Opportunities to Expand Minority Achievement and Participation in STEM,” which was held by the Office of Science, Technology, and Policy. She had the opportunity there to share her knowledge and insight on the topic.
“I wanted to hear what others were doing and I wanted to brainstorm what we as an institution, what we as a college can do to advance STEM education,” Butler said.
She said her overall visit to President Barack Obama’s home was great and the staff was very welcoming.
“I was amazed at how nice the people were,” Butler said. “You have to go through this whole secret service background check before you come, so you give your social security number and all that stuff.”
Butler said she was also surprised on how many initiatives the White House has and it shows Obama’s push to fix STEM education.
“I feel that the president has really tapped into a nerve of the American people,” Butler said. “He really wants to make college accessible.” She believes Obama’s education push will be his second largest impact, behind his healthcare plan, while in office.
Butler is currently in the writing phase of her thesis and is set to defend her thesis in June. She said the College has been very supportive of her pursuit for a doctorate and is thankful for Mark Sullivan, who recommended her for the program.
