2022 SPARK Award Spotlight: Mimi Munoz
According to Mimi Munoz, science teacher at Seguin Elementary School, STEM education is important but learning to be kind should be first in any classroom environment.
According to Mimi Munoz, science teacher at Seguin Elementary School, STEM education is important but learning to be kind should be first in any classroom environment.
From honorable mention to finalist! Fifth grade science teacher, Leticia Sifuentes, says she is thrilled to be one of six nominees for alliantgroup’s 2022 SPARK Award. Although this is her first year teaching at Bonner Elementary School, Sifuentes is a veteran of the classroom with 24 years of experience. She credits her own fifth grade teacher for inspiring her to become one.
From part-time teaching to finance, Melanie Jenkins had many professional experiences prior to becoming a full-time ESL teacher. Jenkins has been a fifth grade ESL teacher at Katherine Smith Elementary School for three years but tells us she first got started in substitute teaching.
From Corporate America to the classroom—Lynell Dillard spent three years as an accountant before realizing teaching was her passion. While still working as an accountant, she taught a weekly finance class where her students became her inspiration to pursue a full-time career in the classroom.
From foster care to the classroom, 5th grade science teacher Ruth Giles says her childhood shaped her into the teacher she is today. She tells us she relates more easily to her students at Cornelius Elementary School because of the challenges she faced but also the support she got along the way.
O’Neal teaches children in kindergarten to fifth grade at Mark Twain Elementary school. She tells us she loves teaching STEM to her students because they can see how it applies to the other subjects they are also learning in school.
March marked the beginning of alliantgroup’s series of Future Focus panel discussions in collaboration with InnovationMap. The conversation centered on the SportsTech industry and the emergence of new multi-billion-dollar markets born out of exciting technological innovation. Cloud technology, social media, streaming applications, and smart devices have changed the game for fans and athletes alike.
A generous $1 million gift from Dhaval Jadav, chief executive officer of alliantgroup, to the nonprofit Space Center Houston will support empowering the next generation of explorers with authentic science learning experiences.
Labor shortages in the Americas continue to affect all sectors of the US economy, and the technology industry is no exception. In fact, companies have been suffering from a shortage of STEM talent for quite some time, and a recent survey of 1,200 technicians and IT workers in the United States found that 72% will quit their jobs by the end of next year. understood.
Each week we see concerning reports about the STEM skills gap continuing to widen in the United States. The good news is Congress and the Biden Administration have a unique chance to help move things in the right direction.