On May 8, 64 South Carolina high school seniors were honored at the eighth annual SC STEM Signing Day. Boeing was the presenting sponsor of the event.
Similar to college signing days for athletes, the students were recognized for their intent to pursue a two- or four-year degree in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) field after graduating from high school.
Students signed letters of intent to pursue a STEM-based degree after graduating high school. (Boeing photo)
The ceremony was held at the University of South Carolina Alumni Center and honorees were recognized by the SC House of Representatives, SC Senate, and Governor McMaster at the Statehouse during the afternoon. The event concluded with a legislative lunch outside the statehouse where students could network with lawmakers, business executives and each other.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster spoke with the honorees outside the Statehouse. (Boeing photo)
What they’re saying: “We are thrilled to continue the tradition of recognizing outstanding high school seniors from across South Carolina who have committed to pursuing STEM degrees,” saidErica Parrott, Director and Chief Engineer of Production Engineering for the 787 Program who spoke during the event. “Our hope for these students is that they will keep their curiosity muscle strong by continuing to ask, ‘why,’ digging into how things work and developing innovative solutions to complex problems.”
“STEM Signing Day was really inspiring to attend,” said Alexis Khalil, a tooling engineer at BSC who attended the event. “From talking to various students one-on-one, it is clear that the next generation of STEM students are very talented. It was also a very full circle moment for me – I remember taking engineering classes in high school, which is where my passion for my career began.”
Go deeper: Created in 2017 in South Carolina, STEM Signing Day has expanded to 14 states and has honored more than 2,000 high school seniors, celebrating the next generation of STEM talent. Over 700 South Carolinians have participated in SC STEM Signing Day in the last seven years. Students across the state applied to be a part of STEM Signing Day through Tallo, an online platform that connects talent with opportunities and is available to all South Carolina students through the SC Future Makers initiative.