By: Valerie Freeman, Imprimis Group CEO

The spring has been my season for foundation events. I serve as a board member on the Dallas County Community College District Foundation. Out of all the exciting new initiatives to increase the number of young people interested in pursuing careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), none is more impactful than the Dallas County Community College District’s STEM Institute with its STEM Scholars program. This program was created in 2009 by the DCCCD Foundation  and provides scholarships, seminars, internships, mentorships, events and research opportunities for a carefully selected group of high-achieving young people.

I attended the Institute’s STEM Summit earlier this month.This yearly event brings in amazing scientists to speak about their ground-breaking research and discoveries. Skylar Tibbits was this year’s keynote speaker.  He is the Director of the Self-Assembly Lab at MIT and a trained architect, designer, computer scientist and artist.  His work focuses on developing programmable matter and smart materials that have a memory and ability to change shape, even repairing themselves. His talk was inspiring and spoke to the limitless future for those who pursue STEM careers.

This event also honored the STEM Scholars – 120 this year – who have an average GPA of 3.74. Out of all of the students who have participated  in this highly regarded program since its inception, 90 percent have completed degrees, transferred, and/or continued their studies at DCCCD.  Many would not have been able to go to college without the scholarships and support of this program. Even four year universities have taken notice – 10 of them come and compete each year to recruit these students and continue to offer scholarships and support of all kinds.

The DCCCD STEM Institute and Scholars program is truly a game changer. Learn more about this program here!