The SME Education Foundation awarded a record number of scholarships to women and/or minorities: Scholarship awards to female students nearly doubled, and scholarships to minority students and minority female students nearly tripled and quadrupled.
The SME Education Foundation and Proviso West High School welcome BorgWarner as a significant corporate contributor enabling preparation for students pursuing careers in manufacturing and engineering.
Pontiac High School (PHS) was accepted into the SME PRIME (Partnership Response in Manufacturing Education) program in 2020-21. PHS received a grant from PRIME that allowed it to create new manufacturing career pathways for students and purchase state-of-the-art equipment: a three-piece Festo MecLab, a Festo Didactic AC/DC Training System, a Verisurf part tester, a Starrett PMI kit, and a variety of hand tools from Starrett and Snap-on.
The Foundation's first quarter saw a 95% increase in scholarship applications with female student applications doubling, minority student applications nearly tripling, and the minority female participation rate increased by a factor of four. Scholarships are central to our mission to inspire, prepare and support young people in their pursuit of manufacturing and engineering education and training.
Dana Emswiler graduated from the Swanson School of Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh in 2021. Her studies in Industrial Engineering were supported in part by scholarships from the SME Education Foundation.
The SME Education Foundation, which has awarded more than $8 million to nearly 3,500 students since 2005, has recorded a 95% increase in completed scholarship applications over its historical average.
Luis Rodriguez-Perez graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a degree in Systems Engineering. A recipient of the SME Education Foundation’s Myrtle and Earl Walker Scholarship, Luis noted that hard work, financial support, and the encouragement of his family were critically important in his efforts to earn a scholarship.
Kimberly Green has joined the board of the SME Education Foundation, bringing expertise in career technical education and the important role of policymakers and governmental officials in furthering opportunities for students.