CITY OF INDUSTRY, CA — SHPE, the nation’s largest association dedicated to fostering Hispanic leadership in the STEM field, and Raytheon Technologies (NYSE: RTX), a leading aerospace and defense company, announced today a strategic sponsorship aimed at assisting the parents of first-generation and low socio-economic status engineering students.
The Equipando Padres (Equipping Parents) program will focus on supporting these guardians to better help their children earning engineering degrees. Studies show that parent support is critical to student success and college education completion. However, parents of first-generation students are often not able to provide the support needed as they don’t have the experience and resources that could best help their children navigate college challenges.
While there are many parent resources out there that focus on basic information and guidance for higher education, few focus on Hispanic families specifically. And fewer still, target the unique challenges of pursuing an engineering career. This is the gap Raytheon Technologies and SHPE seek to fill.
“In Hispanic cultures, familia is the foundation for everything, and padres (parents) are our children’s core support system, to an even greater extent than in other cultures. This program creates structures, processes, and resources that enable Hispanic parents to be an asset for their child,” says SHPE’s Board Chair and Interim CEO, Miguel Alemañy. “We are so grateful that Raytheon Technologies understands this key component is missing for many of our students, and that together, we can help more Hispanics engineers succeed.”
Raytheon Technologies has committed financial and personnel resources to this effort. “We see incredible value in an approach like this. This program has the potential to meaningfully grow the number of Hispanic students that will be ready to pursue engineering degrees, which unlocks a critical resource for the future of engineering in this country,” says Juan M. de Bedout, Raytheon Technologies’ vice president of aerospace technology. “This partnership with SHPE is another way to start breaking down roadblocks that students of color continue to face for advanced engineering education and career opportunities.”
SHPE and Raytheon Technologies have brought together an advisory board made up of representatives of like-minded organizations who are committed to providing advice and guidance about the Equipando Padres program. These individuals are uniquely positioned to provide feedback on program content, implementation, and evolution, as well as, to amplify the message and potentially adapt the program to other communities.
| Organization | Member | Title |
| AISES | Sarah EchoHawk | Chief Executive Officer |
| DiscoverE | Thea Sahr | Deputy Executive Director |
| Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities | Jeanette R. Morales | Executive Director for Student & PK-12 Services |
| Latino Association for Parents of Public Schools | Alexandra Campos Castillo | Equity Program Director |
| League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) | Sandra Caraveo | National Program Manager |
| NAF | Soley González | Director, Corporate Engagement & Relations |
| Raytheon Technologies | Juan M. de Bedout | Vice President of Aerospace Technology |
| SHPE | Miguel Alemañy | Board Chair & Interim CEO |
| STEM Education Coalition | James Brown | Executive Director |
SHPE has a rich history of delivering bilingual parent programming through their long-standing, community-engagement program Noche de Ciencias which focuses on high schoolers, as well as the popular Pre-College Conference at the SHPE National Convention. This project will further their impact by allowing them to directly reach the families of students already at the university level.
“With a committed partner like Raytheon Technologies, a highly qualified advisory board, and experience in serving this audience, we see great potential,” Miguel says. “The world needs more Hispanics in STEM. And we’re ready to leverage our biggest asset – nuestras familias – to make it happen.”
The Equipando Padres program is expected to be piloted during Spring 2022. Our first cohort will be focused on the processes of college selection and college visits. If you or someone you know are the parent of a high school senior and would be interested in participating in our pilot, please provide your name, email, and phone number using this form.
About SHPE
SHPE (Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers) is a nonprofit organization serving and advancing Hispanics in STEM. With more than 13,000 student and professional members, SHPE’s mission is to change lives by empowering the Hispanic community to realize its fullest potential and to impact the world through STEM awareness, access, support, and development. To accomplish this, SHPE provides a variety of programming services, resources, and events, including hosting the largest Hispanic STEM convention in the nation. For more information, please visit https://www.shpe.org/
SHPE Contact
Dayna L. Martínez, PhD.
Manager, Research & Innovation
[email protected]
323.725.3970 x109
About Raytheon Technologies
Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an aerospace and defense company that provides advanced systems and services for commercial, military and government customers worldwide. With four industry-leading businesses ― Collins Aerospace Systems, Pratt & Whitney, Raytheon Intelligence & Space and Raytheon Missiles & Defense ― the company delivers solutions that push the boundaries in avionics, cybersecurity, directed energy, electric propulsion, hypersonics, and quantum physics. The company, formed in 2020 through the combination of Raytheon Company and the United Technologies Corporation aerospace businesses, is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.
Raytheon Technologies Contact
Chris Johnson
[email protected]
202-384-2474