ComEd developing next generation of STEM leaders during Hispanic Heritage Month
As part of its annual Hispanic Heritage Month celebration and to help diversify the pipeline of students pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, ComEd hosted an event in which local Latino high school students worked alongside ComEd engineers to learn about batteries and STEM careers while building their own Bluetooth speakers.
“ComEd is committed to developing a skilled, local, diverse workforce by providing opportunities for communities that are historically under-represented in STEM to build experience and confidence in this space,” said Dave Perez, Senior Vice President of Distribution Operations at ComEd. “As we move toward a cleaner energy future, we need to build a tech-savvy workforce. We hope that programs like ComEd STEM Labs will inspire larger numbers of diverse students to pursue a STEM-focused career.”
The event, part of ComEd’s STEM Labs program, engaged seventy-five Latino high school students from across Chicagoland and northern Illinois on Saturday, Sept. 30, at ComEd’s Chicago North facility. The students worked with ComEd mentors and special guest, Dr. Kate Biberdorf, a renowned author, chemist and science educator to explore a variety of STEM activities including learning about batteries and building their own Bluetooth speakers. In addition to building Bluetooth speakers and networking with ComEd mentors and executives, each student received a $250 scholarship upon completing the program.
Latino Americans make up 17% of the U.S. workforce, but only 8% of STEM workers. Studies show that despite being as interested in STEM as other ethnic groups, Latino students are less likely to take STEM courses in high school, which decreases he likelihood they will pursue opportunities that lead to careers in STEM, according to the Student Research Foundation.
ComEd STEM Labs is one example of how ComEd is preparing more students of color and women to become leaders in the clean-energy transition. Additional STEM and scholarship programs include the ComEd EV Rally, Power of STEM, Future of Energy Scholarships and Drop Me In. These programs all focus on giving diverse groups of students greater exposure to the possibilities of STEM. ComEd STEM Labs is one of the many programs ComEd sponsors to encourage more students of color and women to pursue STEM careers.
Students, parents and educators interested in being notified about upcoming ComEd STEM youth programs and when to apply can submit their email address at: STEMsignUp.com/ComEd.
ComEd is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NASDAQ: EXC), a Fortune 250 energy company with approximately 10 million electricity and natural gas customers – the largest number of customers in the U.S. ComEd powers the lives of more than 4 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s population. For more information visit ComEd.com, and connect with the company on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
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