Physics student dedicated to increasing access to STEM

"We are fighters. We are survivors. That is the Cuban way."

“We are fighters. We are survivors. That is the Cuban way,” he says.

When Menendez was more formally introduced to physics in high school he says he needed that strong sense of perseverance inherent in his culture. He struggled to grasp the difficult concepts, which made him even more interested. His physics teacher inspired and encouraged him, so the rigor was appealing, and he started looking for universities where he could study physics further.

Oregon State rose to the top of his list of schools on the west coast with highly-ranked STEM programs. He arrived in Corvallis in 2021 as a transfer student after completing college courses in Washington state’s Running Start program during his last two high school years.

A first-generation student without any family in Oregon, it was important to Menendez to connect with other minority students who understood his experience and to build a sense of community quickly. He got connected with the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP), a program dedicated to increasing the number of traditionally underrepresented students completing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) baccalaureate degree programs. LSAMP facilitates a bridge program that specifically addresses the unique barriers many underrepresented students experience in STEM at the university level while fostering community through fun activities.

“I wouldn’t be here without LSAMP,” Menendez shared, now in his last year at Oregon State. “I met my best friends, the best friends I've ever had through that program. They really pushed me outside my comfort zone to try new things and I loved it.”

The LSAMP program was so impactful for Menendez, that by his second year, he was working as a tutor and peer mentor inside the program for other incoming students – and that was only the beginning of the leadership positions he would hold at OSU.

Dedicated to increasing accessibility for underrepresented populations, he served as the Deputy Diversity and Inclusion Director for the Associated Students of Oregon State University (ASOSU) and became a member of the First-Generation Student Committee, the Physics for Inclusion in Science Club and the College of Science Equity Alliance. Additionally, he works as an academic coach in the Academic Success Center and a peer advisor in the College of Science, helping science students with class placement, registration and staying connected with others in STEM.

"What keeps me pushing is knowing that I'm carving a path"

“What keeps me pushing is knowing that I'm carving a path,” he says.

He shares that being one of few people of color in the physics department at Oregon State, and the field as a whole, is challenging. But just as he persevered through the subject in high school, finding appeal in the challenge, he has embraced this too as an obstacle he carves away at for those who come behind him.

Menendez will begin classes for his final year at Oregon State during Hispanic Heritage Month 2024, right after his last LSAMP bridges experience as a program mentor. When asked what Hispanic Heritage Month means to him, he said, “I feel like during that month and other identity-based celebration months, people are just so proud of where they come from, who they are, and their lineage, their people, their families. I love that. I'm a very proud Cuban all the time.”

“I am Hispanic and I can show that – I can play my music loud and have fun and be in community. And I really like that. I don't wish for that to stop. I wish we lived in a world where we could present ourselves how we see ourselves without fear of how others will react.”

With minors in mathematics and leadership, Menendez plans to use his physics degree to teach at the high school level in the future. He is currently working on his physics thesis with Yangqiuting (Doris) Li, an assistant professor in the Department of Physics to explore different ways to improve physics education and retention.

“I cannot wait to get my first classroom and right away hang my Cuban flag on the wall, like, this is who I am! I know for a lot of people if they see it, they know they can be it, so hopefully my Hispanic students will see me and know they can succeed in STEM too.”