and Industry Relationships
One of the efforts of significant focus in my first few years of office has been around STEM Identity (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). Students grow up and enter careers that they know exist. However, if a student has never met an aeronautical engineer or doesn’t know what one does, it is hard for her to become one.
I have worked hard to develop and strengthen programs that help students build relationships with industry professionals in STEM careers. My team and I have helped develop relationships with experts in a variety of industries. We are constantly working to connect these experts with students in the classroom. They share with students their personal journeys to becoming successful in their field.
Some children are learning for the first time what a computer engineer, or nuclear physicist does in their profession. When kids learn about these fields of work and see someone who looks like them in a STEM profession, they are more highly motivated, and recognize that they have the ability to achieve more than they thought was possible.