by Whitney McCarthy | Sep 13, 2017 | Quality Management System, RizePoint
Last year we started our corporate social responsibility program, Rize & Shine, to give back to the community. We committed time, money, and energy to projects close to our mission, including the STEM Scholarship Programs, which awards scholarships to Canyons School District students to go toward STEM-focused summer camps.
Yesterday, our Rize & Shine efforts received recognition at The 2017 Apex Awards by the Canyons School District; we were honored as the Business Partner of the Year. This award was created to recognize exemplary and extraordinary service to students, parents, employees, and community members. Winning this award is a reflection of our company-wide dedication to the Canyons School District—and improving access to the STEM pipeline in Utah—through our STEM Scholarship Programs.
Our goal with these scholarships is to empower children in our local community to pursue their future career aspirations. It is a privilege to provide financial resources to students whose passions are in marine science, coding, astronomy, physics, and engineering. As we say at RizePoint, “Great things start with a spark.” We strive to deliver that spark to the community around us.
In 2017, 20 aspiring girls and boys attended STEM summer camps because of our scholarships. The 11 to 15-year-old students chosen for the scholarship were recognized for their achievement and ambition to pursue knowledge. Each student application was reviewed by a committee of RizePoint executives and Canyon School District officials based on their creativity, ambition, and financial need. We are proud to be a part of young scientists’ and engineers’ journeys to acquire knowledge and have fun doing it.
THE STEM SUMMER CAMP EXPERIENCE
Across the western United States, from robotics to space exploration, each student chose an extraordinary STEM camp to attend with the money they received from their RizePoint STEM scholarship award. One recipient, Amelia Slama-Catron, attended a Marine Science Camp at Oregon State University. She said of her experience:
“The central idea of camp revolved around different careers relating to the ocean. We got to do a wide range of activities such as dissections and necropsies, breed oysters, and participate in a high school curriculum about ocean acidification designed by a Master’s student at OSU. Hearing about college and about what they get to do on a daily basis, the internships they get, along with the experiences, really solidified my dream to go into oceanographic engineering. All of this couldn’t have been done without your scholarship helping me get these experiences.”
STEM IN UTAH
The need for more STEM education is growing nationally. In Utah, educational programs, such as the SLED Foundation and SheTech Explorer, focus on providing STEM opportunities to students in Utah school districts. Early exposure to experimental and hands-on learning experiences greatly influence students’ curriculum decisions and learning objectives throughout higher education and eventual career paths. Join RizePoint for the Utah STEM Fest on October 3rd and 4th to see how bright the future of Utah is.
by Whitney McCarthy | May 19, 2017 | RizePoint
This week we awarded the second annual RizePoint STEM Scholarship Awards. Last year we started this program to demonstrate our investment in the local community. A lot has happened in the last year: we formalized our corporate social responsibility efforts; launched cutting-edge technology updates, and were named a top workplace in Utah. Of all the new initiatives, the STEM Scholarship Award program is by far the most inspiring, and it reaffirms how one business can make a difference in the community.
On Wednesday, 20 ambitious students received awards that will cover the cost of a STEM-oriented summer camp. The award makes it possible for students to continue exploring their curiosity in science outside of the classroom. Many students are attending a camp for the first time.
This is always one of our favorite times of the year. Getting to read the applications from students and learn more about their interests and ambitions is fantastic. It’s exciting to see the curiosity and joy that drives a love of learning, and it always leaves us feeling ready to learn new things and tackle new projects too.
The competitive grant application brought in more than 40 applicants and required a personal statement from the student about their STEM ambitions, as well as a letter of recommendation from a friend and a teacher. Students wrote about everything from an interest in programming, to curing chronic disease that affects family members, to building robots that will help people and animals. Applications were evaluated by Canyon School District officials and a committee of RizePoint employees for completeness, creativity, and merit.
During the awards ceremony, President and CEO Frank Maylett asked the students what they hoped to learn at their summer camps. We heard everything from “hacking, the good and bad kind” to “any type of code” and “robotics because I want to learn how robots can help the world.” Hearing their responses to why they chose each camp is a good reminder for all of us to stay excited about the amazing developments in technology. We’re proud to be a part of helping young scientists and engineers learn more and have fun doing it.
This is the second year we have recognized local students with STEM scholarships. We developed the program in collaboration with Canyons School District as a hands-on way to contribute to the development of STEM education in Utah. This innovative program is the first of its kind, but our goal is to make others aware of the opportunities available to contribute to STEM education in Utah.
Highlights from the 2017 Winning Applications
“When I grow up I want to be a engineer, Minecraft superstar. I can put together a Rubix cube in less than 15 seconds. I want to learn by people who are experts so I can get smarter.” – 5th grader
“I love science! I love animals and I love learning about the environment and the known universe. Going to this camp would help me to learn more about the environment and animals.” – 6th grade
“My dad has a chronic disease. I am interested in becoming a scientist so I can work on finding a cure for him.” – 6th grade
“I was a refugee from another country who just came to United State last year. I don’t have any STEM experience, but I would like to take this opportunity to grow my interest.” – 10th grade
“My dad works in Salt Lake County government and my mom is a teacher. Since they both are public servants they don’t make a lot of money. However, they are trying to raise us to appreciate education. This is why this scholarship is important to me.” – 5th grade
We’re proud to support local students and the broader initiative to fill the skills gap in Utah’s labor force.
View more pictures from the event on our Facebook page.
by Whitney McCarthy | Aug 12, 2016 | Rize & Shine, RizePoint
Entries were submitted. Decisions were made. STEM Scholarships were given. And 23 students from Canyon School District packed up their bags and headed off to STEM summer camp. We only wish we could’ve been flies on the wall at each of the different camps. From Utah to Oregon, from space exploration to graphics & robots, each student chose a specialty camp to attend with the money they received from the RizePoint STEM scholarship program.
One particular recipient of the scholarship was Amelia Slama-Catron, a freshman from Hillcrest High School, who went to Marine Investigations Camp at Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport Oregon. “We counted shrimp and collected data on them to help out a PhD student with her research,” Amelia explained, “I had such a fun time learning from experts and college students.”
Students, ranging from 5th to 10th grade, applied for the STEM scholarship with a personal explanation of their own ambitions to learn at STEM camp. In many cases, this was their first summer camp experience.
Issac Willkins, a 6th grader from Butler Middle School was able to attend GREAT Middle School Graphics and Robotics to learn about three dimensional programming. The students had the opportunity to make their very own games for their home computers. Wilkins wrote to RizePoint, “Thank you so much for the scholarship to my STEM camp this summer! It was such a great opportunity to be able to go, and have so much fun.”
The Salt Lake Tribune noted there is a critical shortage of engineers in Utah, which inspired us to start this scholarship in the first place. We look forward to continuing this STEM scholarship program and hope to spark excitement in the future generation of the STEM industry as well.
by Whitney McCarthy | May 24, 2016 | Rize & Shine, RizePoint
23 ambitious girls and boys are off to STEM summer camps thanks to RizePoint STEM Scholarships. We celebrated the occasion with a scholarship banquet – complete with balloons, cupcakes, and awards. The hour-long banquet was an opportunity for the students to shine in front of their families and the entire RizePoint team. 11 year-olds to 15 year-olds were able to mingle with RizePoint’s engineers, and meet CEO Frank Maylett when he handed out the awards.
STEM camp topics range from robotics and genetics to marine science and space exploration. Several students said they hope to be computer scientists one day. Others were unsure about their career plans (fair enough!) but said they love math. We’re excited to check in with this talented bunch after their STEM adventures.
ABOUT THE AWARD
Students, ranging from 5th to 10th grade, applied with a personal explanation of their own ambitions to learn at STEM camp. They also had to submit a letter from a friend as well as a teacher’s recommendation. The applications were reviewed by a committee of RizePoint executives and Canyon School District officials. The committee evaluated several aspects including the students’ STEM interests and how many camps they had been to before. In many cases, this was going to be their first summer camp experience.
STEM IN UTAH
STEM is a hot topic. Everyone from Mark Zuckerberg to President Obama is talking about the need for youth education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Better yet, Utah is a hotspot for STEM educational programs, particularly those focused on providing access to females. The Women’s Tech Council has their SheTech Explorer day and recently announced that STEM education is a priority for 2016. They’re not the only ones. The Utah STEM Action Center is working on a STEM bus for traveling education and recently named 19 schools as Designated STEM Programs. Several other organizations expressed their interest and support of STEM youth programs.
RizePoint is proud to support STEM initiatives for Utah kids. Youth technology education is one of our three focus areas for community engagement – alongside global consciousness and sustainable food systems. This is the first year of our annual scholarship program and one part of a growing partnership between the Canyons School District Foundation and RizePoint.
