By Danny Gross | Communications and Digital Media Manager
The 2018 Washington STEM Summit brought together over 300 business, education, and community leaders from across the state to get inspired, get engaged, and get connected around how to support student opportunity through STEM education and career pathways. We explored how Washington students – particularly students of color, girls and young women, and students from low-income and rural communities – can get the STEM skills that they need to enter rewarding careers and create progress in our world.
This year’s special focus on our earliest learners and on connecting students with career pathways has left us energized and more focused than ever. Together, we can bring about meaningful change for students through STEM education and career connected learning.
In Washington STEM fashion, we have put together math from the Summit that shows how our efforts add up:
1 Statewide Washington STEM Summit
52 STEM expert speakers
1 civil rights leader who inspired
1 Governor shared his vision of STEM
5 youth advocates took the main stage
4 STEM career pathways excursions
3 early STEM excursions
1 elementary school visited
1 high school visited
2 community colleges visited
3 breakout sessions
+1 mission to advance STEM equity and education systems =
300 passionate education, business, and community leaders in STEM education are motivated and equipped to return to their communities to advance STEM education systems so that equity, opportunity, and access are front and center for students in Washington.
This year, we were honored to have Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. and Governor Jay Inslee speak at the event. As Governor Inslee said, “my most important job is to recruit talent in private enterprise and business leaders, because with business leadership in this realm of career-connected learning, everything is possible, and without it, it’s going to go nowhere.” The Governor talked about how creating an increased number of pathways for youth to earn certificates and degrees will lead to them getting high-paying jobs; this is a priority for him in the coming legislative session. He traveled to Switzerland last year to get more information about their apprenticeship system and learned that most 16-year-olds there enter a vocational program that combines classroom instruction with on-the-job training.
For a more detailed look of the day, check out GeekWire’s article “Rev. Jesse Jackson at the Washington STEM Summit: ‘There’s an opportunity deficit’” as well as KIRO 7 and TVW's coverage of the day. While the Washington STEM Summit may be over, our work is only getting started. We look forward to advocating alongside you for Washington students. As always, thank you for your support of STEM education in the state of Washington!
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