Washington, DC (September 26, 2007) – When I first came to Washington, I quickly made the expansion of educational opportunities a top priority on my agenda. I firmly believed that if we could boost educational attainment, raise high school graduation rates, and make college tuition more affordable then we could accelerate economic growth and improve the quality of life for our region’s residents.
My resolute faith in the power of education is why in 2001, I met with The University of Texas–Pan American to explore ways to introduce Hispanic students to opportunities in math, science and engineering. What finally emerged from these many discussions was Hispanic Engineering, Science and Technology Week, better known as HESTEC. Now in its sixth year, HESTEC has proven its ability not only to excite thousands of our students about science and technology but also to make sure they receive the right tools to succeed academically.
HESTEC has become a key ingredient in ensuring South Texas’s future prosperity. Increasingly, it is also catching the attention of our leaders in Washington. Why? While America has long been at the forefront of technological discovery, recent reports show that if we do not attract more of our best and brightest to the fields of science and engineering we may lose our competitive edge.
An alarming gap has developed between those who decide to enter the applied sciences and those who decide on other paths. Even more worrisome, the number of Hispanic students entering the technological fields is shockingly low. By the year 2010, Hispanics will represent one out of four students in U.S. schools; today they only represent four percent of U.S. scientists and engineers.
The reasons for this are clear: there are few role models in the fields of math and science for Hispanic students to emulate, few resources to expose them to these subjects in school, and abysmally low graduation rates with nearly half of our Hispanic students failing to earn a high school diploma in four years.
If our nation is to ensure its future competitiveness, it must guarantee that Hispanic students interested in science and math have the opportunity to develop their talents and gain awareness of the many career options available to them. This is especially critical when one considers our country’s demographics – Nearly 80 million baby boomers are expected to retire over the next 30 years. There is little doubt that Hispanics will be called upon to help reverse the downward trend in our scientific workforce.
We must inspire our youth to become America’s next generation of innovators - the engineers, physicists, mathematicians, astronauts, and inventors who will build on humanity’s base of knowledge and secure America’s economic wellbeing. Achieving this goal is exactly what HESTEC is about – enabling students to pursue careers that will help America retain its position as a global leader in innovation.
HESTEC’s motivational speakers, scientific demonstrations, competitions, and, of course, national leaders like the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi have been extremely effective at motivating Valley youth to complete their education. In evaluations of past HESTECs, participants have expressed a more positive attitude about technological careers and planned to participate in more science-related classes and activities.
In 2001, I could not have imagined the scope of HESTEC’s contributions. Last year, over 30,000 students, parents, and teachers participated in activities. UTPA is now registering record enrollment numbers in its engineering programs. HESTEC has truly developed into a model that proves how collaborations between communities, businesses, and educational institutions can help us maintain our dominance in science and technology and improve the livelihoods of all our citizens.