David Chudoba of Niles has always preferred the STEM subjects in school, he declared. The incoming senior at Niles West High School said that his favorite subjects are “math and science—definitely.”
When he was chosen to attend Exelon Foundation’s STEM Academies, Chudoba gladly joined the weeklong program on June 21-26 because “I’ve always been interested in STEM and I’ve always liked science and math more than English or history. I’m looking at a career in the STEM field, like engineering.”
The program was held at DePaul University and the ComEd Training Center.
Chudoba reported that he worked on one major project for the entire week.
“We had to find a brownfield — an abandoned property that was contaminated, and we had to turn it into something that could benefit the community,” he reported. “We also had to focus on how it was going to be powered. We were connected to the grid, but we also used solar paneling.”
Chudoba said that he learned a lot about infrastructure from working on that project — whether to use above-ground electricity or below-ground.
He reported that the program helped him develop his teamworking skills, too.
“Every day we had an assignment, and we had to split up a lot of the work,” Chudoba explained.
At the conclusion of the program, Chudoba was chosen as one of the STEM Academy Award winners.
He admitted that before attending the Academies, Chudoba was worried about artificial intelligence taking over STEM jobs. “But we had networking events at the programs, and I got to talk to engineers,” Chudoba said. That’s when he learned, “There’s so much opportunity.”
Maya Huggins-Garcia, Senior Corporate Relations Manager for the Exelon Foundation, said that the Exelon Foundation started the STEM Academies because, “We want to make sure that we are connecting with students from various communities that do not have access to STEM education opportunities as well as the energy industry.”
Initially, the program was limited to women.
“We noted that there was a gap that existed for women within the fields of STEM,” Huggins-Garcia said. “I myself am a civil engineer, so I remember all too well being the only female in my class. So, what we wanted to do was find the opportunity to bring young women together so that they could see individuals that were reflective of them that were in the space, and that were being successful.”
Three years ago, young men were incorporated into the program.
“We were noticing that less young men were deciding to go to college to pursue those careers,” Huggins-Garcia explained. “We saw an opportunity to give them a taste of what college life is like and let them know those different opportunities within the STEM field.”
Participants in the program are chosen through a competitive application process. “Anyone is eligible to apply for the program,” Huggins-Garcia said. “We really look for those individuals that have that curiosity, have that interest.”
During the STEM Academies week, the participants do hands-on STEM activities, have networking opportunities, learn professional development skills, and connect with the CEOS of Exelon. At the end of the week, they present their energy challenge. That’s when they speak about the infrastructure and how their completed project will meet the needs of their community.
Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
