RizePoint Wins Apex Award for STEM Programs

by | Sep 13, 2017

RizePoint Stem Programs

Last year we started our corporate social responsibility program, Rize & Shine, to give back to the community. We committed time, money, and energy to projects close to our mission, including the STEM Scholarship Programs, which awards scholarships to Canyons School District students to go toward STEM-focused summer camps.

Yesterday, our Rize & Shine efforts received recognition at The 2017 Apex Awards by the Canyons School District; we were honored as the Business Partner of the Year. This award was created to recognize exemplary and extraordinary service to students, parents, employees, and community members. Winning this award is a reflection of our company-wide dedication to the Canyons School District—and improving access to the STEM pipeline in Utah—through our STEM Scholarship Programs.

Our goal with these scholarships is to empower children in our local community to pursue their future career aspirations. It is a privilege to provide financial resources to students whose passions are in marine science, coding, astronomy, physics, and engineering. As we say at RizePoint, “Great things start with a spark.” We strive to deliver that spark to the community around us.

In 2017, 20 aspiring girls and boys attended STEM summer camps because of our scholarships. The 11  to 15-year-old students chosen for the scholarship were recognized for their achievement and ambition to pursue knowledge. Each student application was reviewed by a committee of RizePoint executives and Canyon School District officials based on their creativity, ambition, and financial need. We are proud to be a part of young scientists’ and engineers’ journeys to acquire knowledge and have fun doing it.

THE STEM SUMMER CAMP EXPERIENCE

Across the western United States, from robotics to space exploration, each student chose an extraordinary STEM camp to attend with the money they received from their RizePoint STEM scholarship award. One recipient, Amelia Slama-Catron, attended a Marine Science Camp at Oregon State University. She said of her experience:

“The central idea of camp revolved around different careers relating to the ocean. We got to do a wide range of activities such as dissections and necropsies, breed oysters, and participate in a high school curriculum about ocean acidification designed by a Master’s student at OSU. Hearing about college and about what they get to do on a daily basis, the internships they get, along with the experiences, really solidified my dream to go into oceanographic engineering. All of this couldn’t have been done without your scholarship helping me get these experiences.”

STEM IN UTAH

The need for more STEM education is growing nationally. In Utah, educational programs, such as the SLED Foundation and SheTech Explorer, focus on providing STEM opportunities to students in Utah school districts. Early exposure to experimental and hands-on learning experiences greatly influence students’ curriculum decisions and learning objectives throughout higher education and eventual career paths. Join RizePoint for the Utah STEM Fest on October 3rd and 4th to see how bright the future of Utah is.

Subscribe to our Blog

Why you should do this

Proven! Powerful Quality Platform & Auditing App