Raytheon Technologies, an aerospace and defense company, and SMASH have announced a five-year partnership to sponsor more than 600 high school and early college students. Through the partnership, Raytheon Technologies has committed to awarding engineering and computer science scholarships to 10 new students each year.
SMASH Academy and supporting programs weave science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education, mentorship, social justice, and workforce opportunities, helping scholars hone their knowledge while building networks and skills.
“While many nonprofits focus on introducing students to STEM, students of color continue to face bias and systemic barriers to advanced STEM education and career opportunities,” said Pam Erickson, Raytheon Technologies’ chief communications officer and head of corporate social responsibility. “By partnering with SMASH, we hope to help break down those barriers.”
Giselle Cortez, a scholarship recipient from Los Angeles who will attend the University of Southern California to study electrical and computer engineering, is already looking forward to inspiring the next generation of STEM talent.
“I want to lend my experiences as a minority and woman in STEM to other high school, middle school, and elementary school students,” said Cortez, whose father and mother immigrated from El Salvador and Mexico, respectively. “I think that would serve as a nice realization that they do have a shot at this and they can do this.” (Meet the scholars redefining the future of STEM)
Raytheon Technologies will sponsor more than 600 high school and early college students over five years:
SMASH Academy, a three-year residential college prep program, empowers high school freshmen to pursue STEM careers. Raytheon Technologies will provide funding for students to spend three summers at colleges, including Morehouse College, Northeastern University, and the University of Michigan, where they will build core technical skills, as well as develop soft skills and community building skills. The company will also provide mentoring and school-year programming to build on their summer experience.
SMASH Rising is designed for college freshmen and sophomores. The program provides SMASH Academy graduates with pre-internship opportunities at leading technology companies. Participants learn problem-solving skills and gain real-world work experience while building networks that will benefit them throughout their careers. Raytheon Technologies will provide paid opportunities to SMASH scholars. The students will spend five weeks working alongside company engineers as they build solutions to address the world’s biggest challenges.
The partnership will help further close the gap between college and career by giving Raytheon SMASH scholars priority placement when applying for any of Raytheon Technologies’ established internship programs.
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