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Why Passion and People Matter More Than Titles in STEM

When people think about success in STEM, they usually picture the technical side, the code, the equations, the lab work.
But the real secret to thriving in this field? It’s the human side.

That’s what I unpacked in a recent conversation with Vanessa Rosa on the Science w/ Impact Podcast an episode that dives deep into the parts of STEM people don’t talk about enough: passion, community, and emotional intelligence.

Finding Your Fire

Before you can lead, you have to care. Passion is what keeps you going when results are delayed/missing or the project feels impossible.

Early on in college and even as late as my junior year, there were times that I thought i wouldn’t make it and wondered if I was even supposed to be an engineer.

For some context, school always came easy for me especially in math and science but then it happened, I got my first Calculus 2 exam back my freshman year and there it was…

A LARGE “D” on my paper, and I was too stunned to speak

How could this be?

I was the person that took AP Calculus my Junior year of high school and basically ran out of math classes to take so I took AP Stats for fun in my Senior year of high school and now first semester of Freshman year of college I get a D on my first exam?

This was my first dose of reality but not my last and didn’t even finish with 3.0 for that semester or first year of college after graduating in the top 10% of my class in high school getting only 4 B’s all throughout.

Luckily I had read, Failing Forward by John Maxwell a couple years prior and I had to remind myself that failure and mistakes were a part of life and I could come back from this.

Oh trust, I still made mistakes a long the way but this first one was big wake up call that college was a different breed than high school.

It stirred a fire in me and I learned to lean more on my community and not do things on my own and that led to my success in school landing multiple internships and eventually landing an engineering job months before graduating from college.

The Power of Community

No one builds a career alone. Mentorship and community can be the difference between burnout and breakthrough.

When you surround yourself with people who challenge and encourage you, your growth multiplies. That’s how we broaden participation in STEM, not through isolated success stories, but through collective empowerment.

Leading with Emotional Intelligence

STEM leaders often focus so much on logic that they forget leadership is emotional work. Understanding your own emotions and the emotions of those around you can elevate your leadership to a new level.

Great example of this was when I was working as a Continuous Improvement Manager in St. Louis a couple of years ago within a site that had a strong union. I was caught in between the union and the Senior Leaders who didn’t always “get it” and I was trying to just make things work. I learned very quickly how emotions can run high.

I joined the team months before a new contract was being negotiated all while getting accustomed to the company, trying to provide valuable work for an intern among all the things I always had going on with work with IncrediPaul & NALA(STEM).

To say this was a stressful time would be an understatement and there was no amount of technical expertise that would solve for this. I had to be smart emotionally not just intellectually to navigate things and fortunately all went well as the contract was signed with no stroke, got up to speed very quickly with the company, and provided meaningful work for the interns which they thanked me for. It was also in 2023 that I started putting out weekly episodes of the podcast.

Being “smart” isn’t just about data or degrees; it’s about empathy.

Faith, Growth, and Joy

We also talked about the role of faith and how it shapes leadership and resilience. For me, faith isn’t just belief… it’s trust in the process.

Bridging Science and Storytelling

One of my favorite topics from this conversation is the connection between science and entertainment. We can’t inspire the next generation in STEM if we make it feel out of reach or boring.

That’s why we need more storytelling, more creativity, and yes more fun. When people feel something, they remember it!

TL;DR

Success in STEM isn’t about being the smartest person in the room.
It’s about staying passionate, building community, leading with emotional intelligence, and finding joy in the process.

If that resonates with you, you’ll love this week’s episode.
🎧 Check out my full episode on the Science w/ Impact Podcast with Vanessa Rosa, Ph.D. where we go even deeper into how passion, faith, and leadership can transform your STEM journey. This week is an excerpt from that show.

DETAILS ABOUT EPISODE

This week’s episode is an excerpt from the Science w/ Impact Podcast with host Vanessa Rosa, Ph.D. Paul Faronbi, aka IncrediPaul, discusses his journey in STEM, emphasizing the importance of passion, community, and mentorship. He shares insights on navigating challenges in leadership, the role of emotional intelligence, and the significance of broadening participation in STEM fields. The discussion also touches on personal growth, the impact of faith in leadership, and the joy found in the process of growth rather than just the end goals. Paul highlights the need for connection between science and entertainment to engage a broader audience and inspire future generations in STEM.

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CHECK OUT RECENT EPISODES OF INCREDIPAUL LEADERSHIP

Reminder new episodes come out every Monday at 6am Central Time. Check it out by going to incredipaul.org/podcast or stream on the following platforms: YouTube, Apple, Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon and More.

EP 135: MANAGING YOUR MENTAL HEALTH W/ PAUL FARONBI

EP 136: FAILURE, FREEDOM, AND FIND YOUR OWN PATH W/ DR. ROSALBA LOPEZ

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