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EXCEL
is a supplemental educational program for middle-school-age minority
(and non-minority) youths in the subjects of engineering, science,
math, history, and english.
In 1989, members of San
Jose chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE)
developed the program to augment the student's learning experiences
outside of the school environment. SHPE wanted to reach out to students
that were not part of any existing youth program, such as the MESA
(Math, Engineering and Science Achievement) program.
EXCEL has grown to include
classroom instructions, active participation workshops, tours of
Bay Area companies, and trips to science and cultural exhibits.
The EXCEL program was
featured in the 1997 program "Latinos Log-On" on ABC-TV San Francisco.
This program was created for Hispanic Heritage Month.
EXCEL Calendar 2002-2003
| Aug 20 |
EXCEL
Planning Meeting |
|
Oct 1
Ines Amaro
|
Parent's Night |
Oct 12
|
Field Trip - Tech Museum |
Nov 16
Juanita Nungaray & Ray Duran |
Electrical Engineering - LEDs |
Dec 7
Anthonette Chavez & Enrique Ruiz |
Robotics
Competition and Holiday Party |
Jan TBD
Ines Amaro & Jeff Salinas
|
Field
Trip - Science Extravanganza |
Feb 22
Martha Juarez |
Civil Engineering - Waterworld |
Mar
TBD
Ines Amaro |
Field Trip - Chabot
or Intel Museum
|
April
26
Jennifer Arguello |
Computer
Lab - Voice Recognition |
May 17
Martha Juarez |
Field
Trip - Stanford Univ |
June
7
Ines Amaro |
End-of-year
awards picnic - Mystery Spot & Capitola Beach |
June
TBD
Ines Amaro |
SHPE-SV
Banquet |
How You Can Help
We are always looking
for more professionals to help us. We usually break up the students
into small groups and one professional handles the students at that
table. You get to know the students on a one-to-one basis.
You can also provide us
with new ideas for workshops for next year. You can also help the
professional assigned to lead the workshop.
If you are interested,
contact the EXCEL program coordinators.
EXCEL Program Coordinators
Denise Cosentino: dgrcos@yahoo.com
EXCEL Chair
Martha Juarez: martha.juarez@stanfordalumni.org
VP of Education
Phone: 408.421.3953
cell
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Program History
The program has had more
than 300 students since 1989. Our yearly attendance has leveled
off to more than a dozen students. About 15 SHPE professionals actively
participate in the planning, coordination, and implementation of
the program.
Some of the EXCEL professionals
who first started the program are still very much involved with
the program and continue to participate as instructors. Current
professionals continue to refresh and energize the program with
new workshops and field trips to Bay Area companies and exhibits.
Program Purpose and Scope
The purpose of the program is to:
- Expose students to various
careers and professions with an emphasis in engineering and science
- Instill the value of learning and education
- Provide role models
- Enhance basic skills in math, science, and other subjects
Program Objectives
In addition to ensuring
that the program is fun and enjoyable for the students, as well
as the professionals, EXCEL has established two sets of objectives.
The short term objectives are to:
- Create an opportunity for fun and enjoyment
- Enhance the student's self esteem
- Improve grade point average
- Increase the motivation and ability to complete secondary education
The long term objectives are to:
- Change the student's attitude towards education -- focus on the rewards and benefits
- Improve career potential in pursuing higher education
- Create a pool of highly-trained Hispanic and minority professionals
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