Last week, more than 950 undergraduate engineers started the next chapter of their lives. Among those is the first graduating class of a multicultural program at Michigan Engineering called Michigan-Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (M-STEM).

Run by the Center for Engineering Diversity and Outreach, M-STEM aims to help promising high school students with diverse socio-economic, geographic, cultural, gender and ethnic backgrounds make the transition to college, and thereby excel in their education.

It began in the summer of 2008 with the first “M-1” class.

M-1 student Kwame Searcy, a senior in civil engineering and a graduate of Ypsilanti High School, says M-STEM helped him prepare for what college was really like, teaching him time-management and organizational skills. And it allowed him to make friendships with other M-STEM students that he still retains today.

Creating those relationships is a major goal of the program, say Co-Administrative Directors Cinda-Sue Davis and Derrick Scott. Actively engaging in cross-cultural experiences and being comfortable discussing issues of diversity are two of the stated “characteristics of an M-STEM Scholar.”

“Recruiters have told us that one of the reasons they like Michigan Engineers is that not only are they good engineers, but they have a sense of multi-cultural competency,” says Davis, who is also the director for Women in Science and Engineering. “They can go into the global marketplace in a very easy transition and hit the ground running.”

M-STEM students are encouraged to participate in student projects and study-abroad experiences. They have access to paid internships and research experiences after their first year in the program.

During their first and second years, the students are expected to maintain a 3.0 grade-point average in all their classes and are asked to re-take introductory classes if they receive a B- or lower. M-STEM students also have access to an academic coach, peer mentor, corporate mentoring and professional development workshops. After the two-year program ends, M-STEM students are asked to stay in touch with the program by attending regular “family meetings” and acting as mentors for new M-STEM students.

Eleven M-STEM students graduated April 28 and currently there are 187 students in the M-STEM program.