Aspirational Mirrors: A Conceptual Model of Alumni-Led Near-Peer Outreach for Precollege Engagement in Ocean Engineering

Abstract

Precollege students in Indonesia, especially in rural and coastal regions, often lack exposure to engineering disciplines due to social, geographic, and informational barriers. This essay proposes a conceptual model of alumni-led near-peer outreach as an affective and culturally grounded mechanism to engage high school students in ocean engineering. Drawing from theories of social similarity, possible selves, and engineering identity, the model conceptualizes alumni as “aspirational mirrors” who influence students not merely through information but also through identification. The model outlines four primary mechanisms—social connection, narrative engagement, aspirational mirroring, and early identity activation—and also accounts for contextual variables such as school environment, gender, and community attitudes. The conceptual model is grounded in field observations from the Ocean Engineering Department at Universitas Hasanuddin, where students frequently return to their former high schools to share experiences and offer guidance. These informal visits demonstrate how relatable role models from the same background can enhance awareness, motivation, and perceived accessibility of engineering education. Students report increased self-efficacy, curiosity, and emotional resonance after such visits. Teachers note that alumni are uniquely positioned to communicate with credibility and empathy, especially in underresourced settings. The model has practical implications for the design of low-cost, community-rooted outreach programs that complement formal STEM promotion efforts and also offers a basis for further empirical research on informal peer-based science communication in Global South contexts. This essay contributes to the discourse on inclusive engineering education by highlighting how relational proximity and identity-based mentorship can expand access to technical fields.

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