Voice of the Mid-Columbia | Kennewick, Pasco and Richland, Wash. |
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closeFriday, Jul. 17, 2009
Students get boost from Richland researcher
By Sara Schilling, Herald staff writer
Pedro Guajardo said his life would be a lot different without the state Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement program.
The program helps under-represented students pursue degrees and careers in math and science fields, and it opened Guajardo's eyes to new possibilities, he said.
The 18-year-old watched it get a boost of its own Thursday when a Richland researcher made a $5,000 donation to the area branch during a ceremony at Washington State University Tri-Cities.
"I believe I wouldn't (be where I am) today if it weren't for MESA" and the donation will help more students in the same way, said Guajardo, who'll attend WSU Tri-Cities in the fall and study computer science.
The researcher, Kim Fowler, recently won a state award for promoting science education and was given $5,000 to donate to a group of her choosing to help with work along those lines.
She picked MESA because it has a focus on diversity and reaches kids of different ages, she said.
"I know they have a great impact on students and I wanted to (continue) to be a part of that," said Fowler, who's volunteered with MESA for years.
She's a senior research engineer in the field of sustainable design and development at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland.
MESA Yakima Valley/Tri-Cities is housed at WSU's Richland campus. It serves about 920 students from Pasco to the Lower Valley.
Leaders work with teachers to provide support in the classroom. There are also opportunities outside of class for kids in the program.
Jennifer Luna, 19, who just graduated from Pasco High, has put on science demonstrations at area schools through MESA. She's also visited universities and learned from professionals like Fowler.
"It's definitely opened a lot of doors," said Luna, who plans to attend Columbia Basin College in Pasco.
She said she's grateful for Fowler's donation because it'll help the program reach more students.
That's the idea. As Fowler presented the check to MESA leaders Thursday, about 30 students -- including several in the program -- looked on.
The students had spent the morning at WSU Tri-Cities putting together gift bags with science-related activities for kids and information for families to be given away at an upcoming community event. Fowler told the students to keep up their hard work in math- and science-related fields.
The money is to help MESA "continue (its) great work in science education," she said.
-- Sara Schilling: 509-582-1402; sschilling@tricityherald.com
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