This paper provides an overview of the "NEST 2014" retreat. The Northeast Scientific Training (NEST) Programs retreat was established with three purposes in mind: (1) to provide underrepresented minority member (URM) trainees with "a community of scholars retreat setting" as an alternative to the formal and highly structured experience of scientific conferences; (2) to create a venue and environment free from daily distractions, one in which trainees could meet peers and near peers along the entire training spectrum to informally discuss, inform, and question one another about careers, career paths, and choices; and (3) to give trainees the opportunity to formally report their concerns, desires, and recommendations on how to increase URM student involvement in STEM fields and careers. These purposes are linked to the goals of (1) broadening the trainees' views and understanding of the lives of scientists and scholars; and (2) providing trainees with a sense of purpose and empowerment as stakeholders in the future of science and of education in the United States.