The three students aim to promote the annual interdisciplinary conference taking place this spring.
Promoting the upcoming STEAM@Schoolcraft Conference is helping Connor Elkins gain confidence in public speaking.
The second-year Schoolcraft College student who hopes to join academia as a professor said being one of the three STEAM Fellows – who work to promote the spring conference taking place March 20, 2026 – will get him more accustomed to putting himself out there.
“I know it’s a skill I need to develop. I didn’t think of it as a challenge,” Elkins said. “It’s an opportunity I can’t say no to.”
Elkins, along with students Samantha Bleim and Blake Morales, are serving as the three STEAM Fellows for the upcoming conference. Their jobs include promoting the conference, as well as assisting with the script and helping with run-throughs leading up to the event.
STEAM@Schoolcraft is entering its sixth year. The conference – put on by the Center for Experiential Learning – investigates how the arts, humanities and sciences effectively build on one another in real-world settings to support our students’ academic and professional goals.
Students are mentored by Schoolcraft College faculty and staff to explore how these disciplines intersect. Participants with diverse backgrounds and interests should submit proposals that creatively address the theme and propose a solution to a problem in society using an interdisciplinary approach.
Those interested in presenting at the conference can learn more here.
As the students begin their work of promoting the prestigious event, they plan on interacting with college instructors and speaking to classes about the conference.
Bleim, a post-traditional student attending on the Michigan Reconnect scholarship who plans to major in Spanish when she transfers to a four-year university, said the STEAM@Schoolcraft conference is unlike anything offered by another two-year college. That’s something she saw as a positive.
“Based on my own experience here at Schoolcraft and why I felt so compelled to do this fellowship is because Schoolcraft offers such unique opportunities,” Bleim said. “People are out there with these great ideas, and this conference gives someone the opportunity that they might not have gotten at another college.”
Jumping at the chance to be a STEAM@Schoolcraft fellow, Morales said, is the perfect opportunity to get involved and get more experience.
“I waited 7-8 years to continue my education in higher education. I never got these kinds of opportunities,” said Morales, a Michigan Reconnect student who is interested in environmental biology and medicine. “This is kind of just my chance to achieve things in academics.”
Errin Stegich-Moloney, manager of the Center for Experiential Learning, said she selected the three students to serve as Fellows for the conference. In addition to their work with the conference, all three of the students participate in other activities, including Phi Theta Kappa and the Schoolcraft Scholars Honors Program. All three also participated in the Center’s Summer Seminar Fellowship program this past August.
Their dedication and involvement on campus made the three great candidates to spread the good news about the conference.
“This event brings out some of the best and brightest, and these three students are incredible representatives for STEAM@Schoolcraft,” she said. “I’m very excited to work with Connor, Samantha and Blake to help make the 2026 conference the best one yet.”
Instructors interested in inviting the STEAM@Schoolcraft Fellows to their classes can request them by emailing [email protected].
Applications for those interested in presenting at the conference are due Feb. 13, 2026. To learn more about the STEAM@Schoolcraft, visit the conference’s website.