Notebook
Feb 22, 2016

Igniting STEM

CareerPath CEO Richard Portelance shares his thoughts on the 2015 Congressional App Challenge. Winners were announced today, February 22, 2016.

I was proud to have been selected as a judge for this years Congressional App Challenge , representing Connecticut’s 5th District under Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty (@repesty). Not only is Congresswoman Esty a big supporter of STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math for those that have been hiding away) but has worked tirelessly to pass legislation  to expand the definition of STEM, allowing more programs to apply for funding and allowing out-of-school and informal programs to get the funding they need as well.

As the originator of the Congressional App Challenge, Congresswoman Esty identified the need to support students in a creative and fun way, helping them learn the value of integrating STEM learning into their overall curricula. The students who participated in the Challenge should all be proud of their efforts – we saw some very clever ideas presented, all of which challenged the students in new ways to not only be able to clearly articulate their concept, but to create and pitch it as well.

One of our biggest challenges we face together as a country is to help our children apply their classroom learning into real world situations, and through that process, self-identify the work that invigorates and excites them. The Congressional App Challenges does just that. At CareerPath, we are committed to the same goal, finding ways to engage students early, helping them identify and apply their skills and find careers that fit their skill sets. We believe the more people we can help to discover their calling or passion, the better off they will be in life.

Thank you to Congressionwoman Esty for your efforts on behalf of education, and congratulations to this years winners.

Also a special shout out to Albert Gao and Ryan Lee from Westminster School for their winning submission, Galaxy.

-Richard Portelance, CEO