GRC Wins National Award for Outstanding STEM Education
By Philip Denman, September 30, 2020
Green River College’s Information Technology program is a winner of the Excellence and Equity in Community College STEM Award by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program and the Siemens Foundation.
Eight winning programs nationwide are receiving this award for not only providing outstanding preparation for high-demand jobs in advanced manufacturing, energy, healthcare, or information technology; but also for their intentional outreach and support of diverse populations that are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers.
The Information Technology program embodies Green River’s commitment to providing all students equitable access to education and support services. In a field that is still predominately white and male, 28% of GRC’s IT students are women while 36% identify as Black, Hispanic or Native American. Additionally, 88% of recent graduates secured IT jobs within six months.
As part of the award, each college will receive $50,000. $25,000 will be allocated for program development. The remaining $25,000 will be awarded as scholarships to outstanding students, known as Siemens Technical Scholars
We’re excited to share that the following students in Information Technology have been selected as GRC’s cohort of Siemens Technical Scholars:
- Lennox Anderson
- Grant Bassett
- Jessica Martinez
- Sarah Mehri
- Heather Monatt
- Jessee Schoenbachler
These scholars will share their stories to demonstrate the economic opportunity available in STEM careers. Each will receive a $4,166 scholarship.
Thank you to the entire team of Information Technology faculty and staff for your hard work to break down barriers and empower our students to achieve their goals. In particular, I want to thank:
- Alan Carter, BAS Program Director, IT Cybersecurity
- Tim Mason, faculty, IT Cybersecurity
- Krish Mahadevan, faculty, IT Cybersecurity
- Ed Goad, faculty, IT Cybersecurity
- Peter Turylo, faculty, IT Cybersecurity
- Vance Graham, faculty, IT Cybersecurity
- Clinton Sizemore, faculty, IT Cybersecurity
- Katie Markham, BAS Program Coordinator, Cybersecurity
- Kendrick Hang, BAS Program Director, Software Development
- Josh Archer, faculty, Data Analytics and Software Development
- Tina Ostrander, faculty, Data Analytics and Software Development
- Susan Uland, faculty, Data Analytics and Software Development
- Tyler Schrock, faculty, Data Analytics and Software Development
- Andy Orr, BAS Program Manager, Software Development
To learn more about the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program and the Siemens Foundation, visit: https://highered.aspeninstitute.org/siemens-aspen-stem/.
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