Stephany Santos went from a participant in the University’s BRIDGE program supporting new students in engineering to a professor at the College of Engineering.
Stephany Santos ’12 PhD ’20 was once told to pursue a career fit for a woman. Undeterred, she followed in her mechanical engineer father’s footsteps instead.
The summer after Stephany graduated from high school, she participated in BRIDGE, a program designed to support incoming first-year students in engineering. This experience also proved to be a path to a meaningful academic career.
The Spark of a STEM Career
At UConn, Stephany immersed herself not only in academics, but also in campus life. She emerged as a spirited student leader, volunteering with department initiatives and co-founding Engineering Ambassadors. She also helped establish SPARK, a residential summer camp for middle school girls interested in STEM careers.
Stephany’s own spark for STEM took her from her bachelor’s degree to an MS and Ph.D program, all in biomedical engineering. She also earned an additional M.S. in mechanical engineering along the way. Her dissertation work, which focused on arthritis research, received support from a prestigious Ford Foundation Fellowship from the National Academies.
Back Where She Began, Back Where She Belongs
Earning her graduate degree at UConn, Stephany never strayed far from her alma mater. She quickly moved from standout student to full-time faculty. In 2020, she was appointed assistant professor-in-residence of biomedical engineering and joined the Engineering Diversity and Outreach Center (EDOC) as an associate director. In 2022, she became executive director of EDOC, which is now known as the Vergnano Institute, an institute committed to fostering connection and passion in the engineering and STEM fields through programs designed to facilitate the outreach, recruitment, retention, and overall success of all members of the College of Engineering community.
Established in 2021 with a $3 million gift from Mark and Betsy Vergnano, the Institute is dedicated to empowering aspiring engineers from all backgrounds. In August 2024, Stephany was named the inaugural Vergnano Endowed Chair at the College of Engineering. This is a position established thanks to an additional $3 million gift.
Stephany’s passion for making careers in STEM more accessible has evolved over time, but her priority remains the same: “People can prosper and persist no matter what challenges they face but often need help opening doors that might not have been opened or approachable for them in the past.”
Stephany is opening doors on the academic front, too. She has developed or co-developed innovative engineering courses such as BOSS LADI, which is geared toward building confidence and communication skills for success in STEM careers. Her passion for student involvement is now seen through teaching leadership development courses. Her contributions to engineering education at UConn has also earned her a 2024 Emerging Faculty Instructor Award.
People can prosper and persist no matter what challenges they face but often need help opening doors that might not have been opened or approachable for them in the past.
Changing the World for Good Through a Career in STEM
As both an educator and program director, Stephany continues to expand and promote accessibility for future students interested in STEM careers, both on campus and beyond. Because of UConn, Stephany is leading by the example of the path she has taken in her own career. She is showing others how to do the same in a STEM career path.
Perhaps Stephany said it best in a previous interview: “Many students expressed excitement to have a professor ‘like me,’ which can mean a lot of things from identity, such as Afro-Latina or child of immigrants… I am breaking stigmas and stereotypes that exist in [STEM] domains and showing students they can too.”
Support of preparation programs devoted to STEM career readiness can only exist because of the efforts of professionals like Dr. Santos and Because of You.