supporting STEM education in new mexico

Even after all that Donald Bush has done in his 40-year career with Chevron, he says that spending time with students is the thing he enjoys most about his job.

Bush is a Chevron lead engineer at the site of the former Questa Mine in Questa, New Mexico. In his spare time, he volunteers as a math tutor, and every year since 2019, he has also volunteered at the annual New Mexico Governor’s STEM Challenge.

This annual competition invites high school students to present a STEM-based solution to a pressing issue facing a local community, a region or the world. The contest was created jointly by the governor’s office, the state’s departments of education and workforce solutions, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and 18 STEM employers. Led by the governor’s office, the event aims to connect STEM students with local STEM companies. Bush is among the Questa-based Chevron employees who mentor a team of students from a New Mexico high school as they compete in the challenge.

“It gives you hope for the future,” Bush said when asked why he enjoys volunteering with the STEM Challenge.

Chevron’s role as a host sponsor of New Mexico’s STEM Challenge is one part of the company’s larger effort to champion STEM education in the state.

From 2016 to 2024, Chevron invested more than $4 million in education programs and initiatives throughout New Mexico. The company has supported in-school programs for kids, training programs for instructors, higher education programs and more.

“The goal of pursuing STEM programs is to show students the amazing opportunities out there that they might not learn about in their regular school day,” said Melissa Abel, a Chevron corporate affairs advisor.

Investing in STEM education also helps address brain drain in New Mexico. This term describes what happens when highly educated and skilled professionals, like STEM workers, leave an area for better opportunities.

Chevron works with the Permian Strategic Partnership (PSP) in the state to combat this and build a STEM workforce. “We want to grow a pipeline,” Abel said. “But Chevron can’t do it on our own. That’s why collaboration is key.” The PSP comprises 26 energy companies and two academic institutions working to address challenges related to workplace shortages by investing in education and workforce development.

The oil and gas sector makes up approximately 25% to 30% of the state’s revenue. This economic contribution helps allow New Mexico to offer high school students and adults returning to college free tuition through its Higher Education Trust Fund. The trust fund was started last year with nearly $1 billion from oil and gas proceeds going to support programs like the Opportunity Scholarship, which helped more than 34,000 New Mexicans in the spring 2025 semester.

Bush sees the importance of STEM in his own family. “I have two daughters with STEM jobs. My oldest daughter is a botanist who works for one of Chevron’s contractors. The other is a nurse. So I personally try and encourage more young women to get into the field,” he explained.

And he learned from a chance encounter at a recent Governor’s STEM Challenge event that his mission, and Chevron’s support, is having an impact in his community. “I was talking to a parent, and she said, ‘There was somebody here from Chevron last year who really supported having women in STEM, and it helped me get my daughter encouraged to try STEM.’ Well, that was me,” he recalled with a laugh.