The College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS) is excited to announce the opening of the Campos Student Center, a new community space designed for ECS students. The center celebrated its opening last week with a waffle bar, games and giveaways for attendees. Located on the second floor of the Center of Science and Technology, the Campos Student Center is a welcoming home-away-from-home where students can receive academic support, connect to campus resources and find a sense of community and belonging. 

“Our overarching mission is to promote a sense of belonging for the breadth of undergraduates who comprise our college,” says Abby Fite G’18, director of inclusive excellence.  

“There isn’t a space like this in the Life Sciences Building so it gives students an opportunity and place where they can come and study,” says computer science student Brianna Anthony ’26.  

Established by Marco Campos and his sister Deanna Campos Miller to make STEM accessible to all students, the student center offers a variety of weekly programs that foster community-building and collaboration. These weekly programs include study sessions for programming on Mondays, open study tables on Tuesdays, math study tables on Wednesdays, Thriving Thursdays, and a weekly wind down on Fridays. 

“I’m really excited for this space,” says computer science student Jenna Ballback ’26. “On Mondays, I’m running the computer programming study table. There’s a different thing going on every day.” 

In celebration of National Engineers Week, the Campos Student Center will offer free headshots taken by a professional photographer on February 19 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. All students have the option to participate in the #ILookLikeAnEngineer campaign, which highlights the breadth of people in engineering.    

“It feels very homely, I like the couches,” says civil engineering student Kevin Guerrero ’28. “I also really like the campaign slogan, #ILookLikeAnEngineer. A lot of people think of a specific picture when thinking about an engineer so it’s nice having a campaign that celebrates all of us.” 

“I think the center meets the needs of what Abby was going for, which is comfortability,” says civil engineering Candance Tabb ’26. “It’s very cozy and close-knit and it’s a space for students to be themselves.” 

“Belonging is a reliable predictor of retention and graduation, so we see this as integral to our academic mission,” Fite says. “It’s also a predictor for a range of wellness outcomes, so we also see this as integral to our ethical mission to care for our students.”