Just like signing days for athletes, the inaugural Chicago Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Signing Day on Thursday, May 24, will celebrate high school seniors from across the Chicago area as they make commitments to some of the country's top technical schools, colleges and universities. These students will apply their talents in pursuit of STEM careers that will place them on the fast track to success in technical fields like those in the aerospace and telecommunications industries.
Students will sign STEM Letters of Intent at City Hall in downtown Chicago during a ceremony attended by elected officials and business and community leaders. Fifty students have been selected to take part in the event. The students were recruited by and applied through the Chicago STEM Pathways Cooperative, a Project Exploration initiative — which is a community-based effort aimed at addressing inequities in the STEM learning landscape from early childhood to career.
Boeing's support of STEM Signing Day events extends beyond the Chicagoland area and into many communities where the company operates. In 2018, Boeing supported more than 240 students across the U.S. through participation in similar STEM Signing Day events in South Carolina, Alabama and Washington State.
John Blazey, VP of Boeing Global Engagement, said that the future innovators that are being recognized will be leaders in the advancement of technology and innovation in the twenty-first century workplace, and we are privileged to support them in this endeavor.
Matt Blakely, Executive Director of the Motorola Solutions Foundation, added that the company is investing in the future of the students that are being hnored and recognized during the company's first-ever STEM Signing Day. As future innovators and changemakers, these students will help others be their best in the moments that matter.
Over the last decade, the Motorola Solutions Foundation has granted nearly $60 million to STEM education programs across the globe, including $4.3 million in 2017 that supported two million teachers and students in more than 140 technology and engineering programs. The Motorola Solutions Foundation is the charitable and philanthropic arm of Motorola Solutions, which creates innovative, mission-critical communications solutions and services and helps public safety and commercial customers build safer cities and thriving communities.
