It's Academic: Raytheon's Tech Whizzes Open New World for Students
Last Updated: 09/25/2013
In a sprawling campus of laboratories and offices in
northern Massachusetts, Raytheon engineers work on some of the defense
industry's most difficult technical problems. But on a recent afternoon, many
were putting in time on a much more personal project.
In a cafeteria on the second floor, dozens of employees bent
over tables, helping local students prepare for Massachusetts' graduation
exams. Others were coaching youths in English or working science problems.
The Tuesday "Stand & Deliver" mentoring
sessions in Tewksbury, Mass., are part of Raytheon's nationwide effort to help
students by pairing them with some of the world's foremost engineers and
business leaders. In Massachusetts, 76 percent of students in the Stand &
Deliver program reported better grades, and 59 percent said they were more
interested in school.
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| Reading, writing and arithmetic. Just some of the many subjects that Raytheon employees help teach local students as part of the Stand & Deliver mentoring program. |
The Stand & Deliver program is affiliated with Family
Services of the Merrimack Valley, a non-profit organization. Raytheon employees
mentor about 100 middle and high school students from nearby Lawrence, Mass.
In addition to tutoring, students get to visit factories and
laboratories where Raytheon builds some of the world's most advanced
technology, including the Patriot air and missile defense system and the
AN/TPY-2 radar.
The opportunity to visit Raytheon has been one of the
biggest draws for students, said Terri Munson, Raytheon's Stand & Deliver
coordinator.
"When the program was first introduced to Raytheon in
2004, there was a high rate of 'no shows' on the part of the kids," Munson
said.
So the program started busing students from Lawrence schools
to Raytheon's research and design offices. That proved to be the key to the
program's success, Munson said.
"The environment is an education in itself," she
said."They show up with smiles on their faces ready to work with their
mentor."
And the employees do more than just help with homework. The
group goes kite-flying, celebrates Pi Day on March 14 and works on college
applications together. Some students even sing the National Anthem at a Red Sox
game each year.
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| Members of the Stand & Deliver mentoring program sing the national anthem at Fenway Park in Boston before the start of a major league baseball game. |
Volunteer Javier Alvarado Jr., an engineer on the AN/TPY-2
missile defense radar program, said he hopes he can serve as a role model and
inspire students to pursue any career.
"I've learned that my mentees truly appreciate having
someone that is not a teacher, parent or older sibling offer them
encouragement," Alvarado said.
Indeed, many graduates of the program become mentors
themselves.
Baralt decided to start tutoring 9th graders in his high
school as a way of "paying forward" what he learned as a student in
Stand & Deliver.
"It feels good knowing that you have someone out there
encouraging and pushing you to the limit beyond your expectations," he
said.
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| Students learn firsthand about the science behind flying kites. |
Another Stand
& Deliver alumnus, Josh Maldonado, is now a Massachusetts Institute of
Technology student and has taught SAT preparatory classes to younger students.
He just completed an internship at Raytheon.
"I am an
example for these students of what possibilities are opened if they choose to
be mature and work hard for what they desire," Maldonado said.
Like
Maldonado, some of the students go on to intern at Raytheon. The company
recently made its first job offer to a Stand & Deliver graduate. He'll
start in June after his college graduation.
You can learn
more about Raytheon’s education efforts at
http://www.raytheon.com/responsibility/community/mmu/index.html
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