Summer Academy Introduces Juntos Youth to CALS, STEM Careers

Big Daddy, an enormous cockroach and Liz Driscoll’s office pet, was about to become a celebrity. It was a typical steamy, late-June day when Driscoll, 4-H subject-matter specialist with NC State Extension, chose Big Daddy, an impressive Madagascar hissing cockroach, to become the favored bug ambassador to 114 eager, bright young people attending the Juntos Summer Academy at NC State University.

Juntos, which means “together” in English, is a program created in 2007 by staff with NC State Extension as a way to help Latino families navigate the educational system in the U.S. Since its inception, Juntos has grown to become a national program run through a collaboration between land-grant institutions within Cooperative Extension. The program has received support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA), National 4-H, and various state and national foundations. 

The 2024 Summer Academy brought Latino youth from eight North Carolina counties to the NC State campus, with the goal of introducing youth and their families to various career pathways in agriculture and life sciences. The Juntos Summer Academy is integral in breaking the bias held by many Latinos about working in agriculture — the idea that ag means only fieldwork — and to show the diverse opportunities available within the industry.

Opportunities like entomology, the science of insects and their relationship to plants, for example. “I use cockroaches to make the youth think, ‘What is this; what is happening here?’ I want to invite curiosity and exploration and the cockroaches are just the entry point. If you haven’t had an experience like this one before, then how do you know if you are interested in it?” asks Driscoll. 

Who knew that a cockroach could make plant and soil science so appealing? It’s an approach that clearly works, especially for Juntos Summer Academy student Natali Argueta Guerro, who is, arguably, Big Daddy’s biggest fan.

“I really love the animals. I learned about how to propagate plants, and I would like to learn more about how they function, but I most like the animals,” says a grinning Guerro, who is proudly wearing a life-size Big Daddy sticker on her T-shirt.

“If you have the opportunity to build a career that you are interested in, where there is real economic opportunity for you and your family, then it is something that you should pursue. We explore the range of options from the field to the lab — not just growing things but the affiliated careers like ag engineering — and we [Juntos and 4-H staff and volunteers] try to connect with youth as individuals and say, ‘Let’s pursue these opportunities together,’” says Driscoll.

USDA-NIFA Grant Paves the Way

It is a sentiment echoed by Leslie Mouchet, a former high school science teacher who now serves as the Juntos project manager for a recent $7.8 million USDA-NIFA grant awarded to Juntos, nationally, for STEM career education. 

“We help the youth see themselves in spaces they haven’t thought of before. They don’t know what science on a farm is like, that science is in everything,” Mouchet says. “I want them to find the STEM connection to their interests. Through hands-on experiences, the kids learn that scientific careers are attainable, and then we help the parents navigate it.”

Diana Urieta serves as the senior director for Juntos at NC State. She sees the grant as a much needed way to apply culturally responsive practices to change the perception of agricultural careers. 

“It allows for STEM career exploration to become a focus for Latino students. This grant will bring together land-grant universities (LGU) implementing Juntos to pilot the program’s new component Caminos a Carreras/Career Pathways in Agriculture,” says Urieta. “NC State Juntos will use 10 years of data to follow young people through their path to higher education while tracking cohorts who participate in the Career Pathways in Agriculture at a total of five LGUs.”

Under the grant, North Carolina and the state of Washington are currently piloting the new component for Juntos and will take the experience to the three additional Juntos states in 2025.

Summer Academy Breaks Barriers

The Summer Academy has been a Juntos tradition at NC State since 2010, beginning with a modest 20 youth spending one night on campus. In 2024, enrollment has grown to 114 youth from eight counties spending a total of five nights away from home.

“This week is an opportunity for young people to engage with college students, their team captains, who have similar experiences to their own. Participants are mentored by these team captains who share the college experience with them — going to class every day, working on a career-based project, engaging with professors,” says Urieta. “Networking is a key element, along with learning to not be afraid to talk with people that they are not used to talking with everyday.” 

Billy Ramirez is a team captain for the Summer Academy. The senior at UNC-Greensboro was involved with Juntos as a middle school student and welcomed the opportunity to help guide academy participants through the week. 

“When I speak to students I help them understand that while it can be complicated at first, you can find your way to college. I tell them to apply, apply, apply — there is always a way,” he stresses. “This opportunity can open the door and change their whole life.”

Familial involvement is a hallmark of the Juntos program, reflecting the importance that the Latino community places on family and community. 

For Wanderlis Alcantara Polanco, 16, that family closeness meant he almost did not come to Summer Academy. “At first my mom did not want me to be away so long, but eventually she was happy to have me be a part of the university,” he says with a big smile.

Unlike his peer, Guerro, Polanco gravitates toward plants as opposed to animals. “My favorite part of the week was measuring the corn,” he says. Polanco explains that while plants may be genetically the same, the stalk heights can be influenced by many things.

So what might he do with this new knowledge? “I am interested in chemistry and I think that I can be in chemical development for agriculture. I can make new fertilizers and help develop plants,” Polanco says. The experience, he says, has taught him that many kinds of interests and opportunities can be combined to find the right career.

For Urieta, these revelations are what the Summer Academy is all about. “This is my favorite thing,” she says. “Being able to get one-on-one time with the students, it reminds me of the ‘why.’”

Back in Liz Driscoll’s office on NC State’s campus, Big Daddy hangs out enjoying his favorite treat — bananas. It remains to be seen what lasting effect he has had on the life of Natali Guerro and her campmates, but if his impact is as large as he is, Guerro has a big future ahead.