SCU Summer Engineering Seminar Receives INSIGHT Into Diversity Award for Fourth Consecutive Year
(Santa Clara, Calif., July 11, 2025)— Santa Clara University and the Summer Engineering Seminar (SES) program received the 2025 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award from Insight Into Academia magazine, the largest and oldest academic excellence and belonging publication in higher education. This is the fourth consecutive year SCU has received the STEM Award, a measure of an institution’s individual programs and initiatives that encourage and support the recruitment and retention of women and underrepresented students into all STEM fields. These include, but are not limited to, science and research fields, technology, engineering, and all math fields. Santa Clara University will be featured, along with 51 other recipients, in the June 2025 issue of Insight Into Academia magazine.
Insight Into Academia magazine selected Santa Clara University and the Summer Engineering Seminar (SES) program based on efforts to inspire and encourage a new generation of young people to consider careers in STEM through mentoring, teaching, research, and successful programs and initiatives.
“SES is committed to exposing underrepresented youth interested in STEM to the idea that not only is college possible, but they also deserve a spot, said Ricardo Padilla Jr., Programs Manager for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in STEM.
With sponsorship from the SCU Ignatian Center, SCU Inclusive Excellence Division, SCU Miller Center, Verizon, SCU Undergraduate Admissions Office, Southwest, Samsung Semiconductor, Intuitive Surgical, and Inspector Planet, the program continues to expand its reach and relevance to youth. What makes SES so unique is that it’s now the last free residential program in the nation, and one of the few remaining multi-year programs.
“We know that STEM programs are not always recognized for their dedication to access and belonging,” says Lenore Pearlstein, owner and publisher of Insight Into Academia magazine. “We are proud to honor these college, university, and industry STEM programs as role models for other institutions of higher education," concluded Padilla.
For more information about the 2025 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award and Insight Into Academia magazine, visit insightintoacademia.com
About Insight Into Academia
Insight Into Academia magazine is the largest and oldest diversity and inclusion publication in higher education today. Insight is the leader in recognizing inclusive excellence in higher education through its many prestigious awards and in advancing best practices in inclusive excellence and belonging through their website and print magazine.
At Insight’s online Career Center, readers will also discover career opportunities that connect job seekers with institutions and businesses that embrace a diverse and inclusive workforce. Current, archived, and digital issues of Insight Into Academia magazine are available online at insightintoacademia.com
About Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University is a private Jesuit Catholic University in the epicenter of Silicon Valley, infusing ethics and social consciousness into a rigorous cross-disciplinary education for its nearly 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students.
About Santa Clara University's School of Engineering
Santa Clara University's School of Engineering, established in 1912, inspires and develops engineering leaders of competence, conscience, and compassion—entrepreneurial thinkers who will build a more just, humane, and sustainable world. Offering a range of degree programs and situated in Silicon Valley, the School serves as a vibrant hub for research, innovation, and collaboration with industry leaders.
Media Contact
Jose Diaz | School of Engineering Marketing Coordinator | jdiaz3@scu.edu | 408-554-5303