FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
THREE SUCCESSFUL SISTER ENGINEERS SPEAK ON CAREERS IN ENGINEERING AT ELI WHITNEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DECEMBER 9TH

Introduction to Digital Technology Workshop for Parents Dec 10

(November 30, 2011)— Three Latina sisters, all successful engineers, will visit Eli Whitney Elementary School in the South Lawndale community with an inspiring message about education, perseverance and family support. The presentations will be made to over 500 Eli Whitney students in mini sessions on Friday, December 9 from 11 am – 2 pm. On Saturday, December 10th from 9 am – 12 pm the Chicago Pre College Science and Engineering Program (ChiS&E) will facilitate a digital technology workshop for Eli Whitney parents and students as well as students from Pershing East. All sessions will be held at Eli Whitney Elementary School, 2815 S. Komensky Avenue. For more information, call Eli Whitney at (773) 534-1560.

Sharing their inspirational story of achieving against the odds are sister engineers, Dr. Araceli Martinez Ortiz, Engineering Education Researcher and Executive Director of Sustainable Future Consulting; Ms. Alicia Martinez-Duran, Environmental Engineer and Educator at Campbell Elementary School in Austin, Texas ; and Ms. Alma Delia Martinez, Human Capital Engineer, at POD Solutions, in Orlando, Florida. All are Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program (DAPCEP) alumni.

“My sisters and I all faced challenging circumstances growing up in a low income situation as English language learners in a Spanish speaking household,” said Dr. Ortiz.

“But through our own self determination and with the early support of our parents, teachers, and programs similar to ChiS&E, we were able to overcome those challenges and transform our lives. We are now Latina Engineers and Educators with families of our own and we are here to say “Si Se Puede.“

On Saturday, December 10 the technology workshop will be facilitated by the Chicago Pre-College Science and Engineering Program- SETSEP program and by the Educational Technology Coordinator at Eli Whitney, Ms. Latina Booker-Taylor. It will be presented in English and Spanish and is aimed at parents and adult family member of Eli Whitney School students and others.

“We are excited to be a part of this community outreach effort,” said Jorge Ruiz, principal of Eli Whitney. “It is our responsibility as educators to prepare our students to compete in the 21st century. Programs like ChiS&E offer children and their parents the chance to learn more about opportunities in STEM fields.”

The goal of the workshop is to offer parents an opportunity to learn handson digital technology skills to support their children on their educational mission. Information about technology career opportunities for parents and their children will be presented. Parents will also select and be guided in various hands-on digital technology learning modules. The Chicago Pre-College Science & Engineering Program provides highly engaging, age-appropriate hands-on science and engineering activities for Chicago Public School (CPS) students and their parents in seven low-income African-American and Latino communities in Chicago. An innovative program, ChiS&E aims to develop student and parent knowledge in science and engineering, instill a love of learning in the areas, and provide parents and teachers with tools and experience to prepare the scientists and engineers of tomorrow.

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