Northeastern’s chapter of oSTEM equips LGBTQ+ students with academic, personal, and professional success

There’s no one-size-fits-all guide to navigating identity and gender expression as a working professional, a feat that is especially challenging for students just entering the workforce. Despite the visibility of the global LGBT workplace-equality movement, hurdles still exist for LGBTQ+ individuals. This makes the impact of the Northeastern student chapter of oSTEM even more important. 

The international parent organization, oSTEM, which stands for ‘out in science, technology, engineering, and math,’ is a non-profit professional association for individuals in the STEM community who identify as LGBTQ+. As the largest chapter-based organization, oSTEM has over 100 student chapters at universities and professional settings across the U.S. and all over the world.  

Nestled in the Boston campus, the Northeastern student chapter invites students who identify as LGBTQ+ to mingle, network, and socialize with other members of their community. oSTEM NU’s faculty advisor, Benjamin Hescott, the associate dean for undergraduate education and student experience at the Khoury College of Computer Sciences, has been involved with the Northeastern chapter for over two years. As their advisor, he says, “I’m available for anything that they might be interested in, you know, in terms of the group — it’s something I care deeply about, so I’m always there to support them.” But Hescott is more than just a helping hand, saying, “Most student groups want me as their advisor, because it falls within my role at Khoury, but oSTEM was the one where I said, ‘That’s the one I want – I want to be their faculty advisor.’” 

As a group, oSTEM has invited guest speakers to talk about their personal and professional pathways and conducted resumé reviews, but most importantly, they help each other navigate identity and academics using their own learned and lived experiences.  

In one of the major events co-hosted by oSTEM and Northeastern’s LGBTQ Resource Center, Khoury College asked Natalie Egan to speak about her experiences and role in founding her company, Translator. On this, Hescott said, “It was just one of the most inspirational talks, and I think there are more opportunities for us to get other speakers to be able to represent that intersection of STEM and LGBTQ+.”  

On the importance of the chapter for Northeastern students, Hescott says, “As a gay male in tech, I think that sometimes, we [LGBTQ+ people] don’t often see ourselves in tech, and I think getting together a group of students that are interested in tech and more broadly, STEM, and making sure there’s a safe space, it feels really important.” Drawing from his own experiences, Hescott is proud of the chapter, saying, “It’s something that I look at, and I often felt that I wish I had, when I think back to when I was an undergrad.”  

The student route to oSTEM  

Oliver Henderson, the recently elected president of oSTEM, studies marine biology; he is on a pre-veterinarian track. His elementary school ‘adopt a manatee’ campaign shaped Henderson’s interest in helping marine mammals, “It got me interested in that subfield rather than environmental science broadly, it really narrowed it down for me,” he said.  

Seeking a space where he felt heard, Henderson was inspired to join oSTEM, explaining, “I wanted a space where I could relate to other people, and I feel like STEM is a very distinct field. Having a community where I can meet people who are similar to me and who have experiences that I can learn from is really helpful.” 

Another member of the e-board is secretary of oSTEM NU, Blake Heyman, a computer science student concentrating on human-centered computing. In pursuit of a field in which he could improve the lives of others, he said, “I went into computer science to make the world a better place because I think computer science is a great way to change the world, and to make an actual impact on a big scale.”  

At a student activity fair, Heyman came across oSTEM NU, saying, “Initially, I was looking at the LGBTQ clubs on campus because I identify with that – I’m gay – so I wanted to see what was out there.” Heyman was drawn to finding a group of like-minded people with similar interests and who strengthened the visibility of LGBTQ+ people in STEM. He joined the chapter his freshman year. After attending regularly, despite the shift to virtual meetings, Heyman secured the secretary position.  

Growing up, oSTEM member Alex Jarecki has always been passionate about science. As a first-year Northeastern student, Jarecki explored other interests and felt drawn to political science. Realizing that he had a passion for the intersection of biology and political science, he declared a double major.  

Jarecki found out about oSTEM NU at the student activities fair, and was initially drawn to the group because, “In high school, I didn’t have a lot of groups like that – both clubs for STEM and networking – but also for groups of LGBTQ+ people.” He was thrilled at the prospect of meeting other LGBTQ+ Northeastern students who he could collaborate with in and outside of the classroom. 

Community-built confidence and pride in the workplace  

As a chapter member and subsequently e-board member of oSTEM, Henderson learned how to forge his individual path to success. Now, he said, he’s working on “navigating through the different difficulties that come with being a queer trans person in the workplace.” In terms of coming out in the workplace, he explained, “The fact that you can find people like you in your field, and not only in your field, but in your workplace as well, is also super helpful because you’re trying to find the best fit for you.”  

Once he graduates in 2023, Henderson plans to become a veterinarian. In the fall, he’ll start his co-op at the MSPCA as specialty services veterinary assistant. He credits the oSTEM NU community for his ability to build his career while staying true to his identity expression. “Just knowing what questions to ask at my job interviews, like ‘if there’s a former co-op I can speak to’ or ‘what policies exist around name/gender changes’ has helped,” he said.  

Explaining that another strength of the oSTEM NU community is identifying red and green flags in workplaces, Henderson said that members assist in ways to help nudge a workplace into becoming a more comfortable space to be out in. He said, “Once you advocate for yourself, you’re not only helping yourself, but also the other people who join and experience the safer workplace.” 

Meanwhile, by encountering LGBTQ+ visibility in a professional capacity, Heyman experienced significant personal growth through oSTEM NU. “I usually kept those two areas distinct, like, ‘Oh, I have my LGBT identity and then I have my professional life,’ and there’s not a whole lot of overlap,” he said. Heyman continued, saying, “Just seeing all these people who managed to be a lot more confident with their identity in the professional environment was really inspiring because I realized that ‘Hey, I don’t have to keep these two areas of my life separate.’”  

The ability to find workplaces that would support him and his identity without giving up one or the other was inspiring to Heyman, who wants to change the world upon graduating in 2023 – possibly through mobile app development. “There’s a lot of room for growth in the future just because pretty much everyone has a phone nowadays, and there is such a wide range of possibilities to help people,” he mentioned.  

In a professional setting, Heyman explained the difficulties of staying true to his identity and gender expression. “A lot of times when you’re engaging with someone in a professional context, you kind of have to feel it out, like, ‘Am I okay to express my identity here or will I receive hostility at all?’ You have to feel it out and a lot of times it results in ‘Well maybe the risk of being true to myself isn’t worth that.’”  

However, with the evolving makeup of the LGBTQ+ workforce, companies are beginning to implement policies to better support their LGBTQ+ employees. Heyman acknowledged this, saying, “It’s becoming easier to stay true to my own identity — and I am co-oping at a company that I definitely feel supports that and allows me to be true to my identity, which is something I really value, and is part of why I chose that company.” 

Personal benefits of membership 

Affiliated with the chapter since 2019, Jarecki says he’s gotten more comfortable with himself, “I think I’ve just become more confident with what I want to study and what I want to do with my life,” he said. 

Jarecki also remarked, “Having those friendships and relationships that you build in any sort of club, I think it’s especially important when it comes to clubs that are for minority students.” 

Sharing the same goal as Heyman and Henderson, Jarecki too wants to pursue a career that helps people, hoping too that his confidence in his own visibility will inspire others, saying, “I think it’s really important to me that I am visible, and that other people are aware of that.”  

With students across disciplines, and especially LGBTQ+ students, Hescott wants them to own their vision. Referring to oSTEM, he says, “I think their vision is to create an inclusive space at the intersection of science, technology, engineering, and math, but also to be an open and inclusive space for our LGBTQ students.”  

Imparting his advice to students, Hescott began by acknowledging the privilege of being out in the workplace, “I feel so unbelievably fortunate to be able to be my true self, both in the classroom, with my peers, and with my boss. It’s something that I’ve been able to do for 20 years, so for me to have that privilege, I’m just super grateful for the students who are looking at that.” He emphasized that he wants people to move at their own pace and students to be their true selves, sharing their identity as they feel comfortable.  

Connecting oSTEM’s mission to his role as a computer science professor and associate dean at Khoury College, Hescott said, “Looking at gender and other underrepresented groups in computer science, I want to say, when we make it better for one group, we’re making it better for everybody,” Speaking from experience, Hescott added, “I think being out in the workplace and being true to yourself makes for a very happy environment – it makes for a better work/life balance.”    

“Looking at gender and other underrepresented groups in computer science, I want to say, when we make it better for one group, we’re making it better for everybody”

Benjamin Hescott

Armed with their academic and practical experiences, students in oSTEM NU are building a world where LGBTQ+ individuals in STEM are able to achieve success in a safe and supportive space. The chapter empowers students to own their identity and prosper academically, personally, and professionally. Find out more about oSTEM NU by visiting their Facebook, Instagram, and Engage pages.  

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