The first year of college is often difficult—an unfamiliar campus, new people and academic demands can make for a tough transition. That can be especially true for students from historically underrepresented backgrounds, particularly when entering a discipline like engineering.

For more than 50 years, the University of Delaware has sought to support those students through Resources to Inspire Successful Engineers (RISE), which provides a supportive community, mentorship and networking opportunities. In 2022, at the urging of many alumni, RISE revived a former cornerstone program, the Summer Academy.

The five-week RISE Summer Academy lets incoming first-year students in the College of Engineering take a math course, familiarize themselves with campus, participate in experiential learning opportunities and network with faculty and industry leaders. While this iteration of the Academy is still new, it’s grown quickly, thanks in part to a $40,000 donation from Delmarva Power Company in May.

“The generous support from Delmarva allows even more students the opportunity to experience this community and the support and the resources that are available to them,” said Noelle-Erin Romero, director of the RISE program.

This year’s cohort of 25 students is nearly twice the size of the 2022 Summer Academy class.

Junior Axel Rodriguez-Leon, a computer science and game studies and eSports double major, was part of the 2022 cohort. The Academy and RISE were part of the reason Rodriguez-Leon decided to attend UD—a program dedicated to supporting underrepresented engineers was exactly what he was looking for.

He credits the Academy with providing a group of friends, supportive mentors and a network of resources as soon as he set foot on campus. So, it made sense for Rodriguez-Leon to give back to the program by working as a student staff member for the past two summers.

“I'm so passionate about being able to help the increasing number of people of color who can be in engineering,” Rodriguez-Leon said. “Even if I don’t see the students on a daily basis or at all during the semester, just the fact that I’m there for them regardless is more than enough for me.”

Rodriguez-Leon’s consistent involvement gives him a close look at how the Academy has evolved in such a short time. For example, students now receive a stipend when they complete their experiential learning opportunity, and partnerships with corporations mean students can get an inside look at how industries function.

Academy participants this year had the opportunity to tour Delmarva’s headquarters to see the facilities, discover potential career paths, and learn about life as an engineer. The group also met with several senior leaders at the company, including internship directors, who discussed the challenges they’ve faced while offering advice on how to handle adversity and start planning a career path.

“It is an honor to support the University of Delaware and their RISE program, as it creates educational opportunities for underrepresented groups, contributing to a more diverse pipeline and allows our organization to build relationships with potential future employees,” said Delmarva Vice President of Technical Services Amber Young, a UD and RISE alumna. “Delmarva Power also values our partners at UD, who offer new insights into the needs and perspectives of our communities, leading to enhanced innovation and growth across the utility industry.”

Creating equity and a strong community for underrepresented students is the heart of RISE’s mission. And while the new iteration of the Summer Academy hasn’t been around long, it’s already clear that it works: Romero said that early indicators show that participation in the RISE Summer Academy positively impacts GPA.

Bolstered by the support of generous corporate partners like Delmarva Power, the RISE program is committed to expanding the Summer Academy and other resources to help increase diversity in engineering. Romero noted that studies have shown that having diverse teams increases innovation, creativity and production—diverse people solve diverse problems, as Rodriguez-Leon put it.

“Increasing diversity in engineering will allow us to have those different perspectives, to have those different experiences and to come at problems with different understandings,” Romero said. “It moves the needle to what we're able to accomplish once we have a diverse team. Being able to support students over the summer in order for them to understand their experiences add value to a team is incredible.”

With corporate partners and the UD community by their side, the RISE Summer Academy is poised to prepare even more Hengineers for success. By making a gift to the RISE program, you’ll help ensure students from underrepresented backgrounds have access to resources and a community that can help them excel in and out of the classroom.

To learn more about providing internships and experiential learning opportunities, contact Noelle-Erin Romero at noromero@udel.edu. For more information on how to invest in the future of engineering students by creating an enriched academic experience and building an employment pipeline, contact Heather Barron at hbarron@udel.edu.