By Mike Kaminski, president, Argonne Hispanic/Latino Club
As part of National Hispanic Heritage month, I recently had the privilege of participating in the Argonne Hispanic/Latino Club’s 13th annual Hispanic/Latino Educational Outreach Day.
This year 40 students from Heritage Middle School in Berwyn came to the laboratory for a full day of tours and hands-on activities including lunchtime discussions with Argonne and U.S. Department of Energy professionals.
For me, this event puts into perspective the importance of commemorating this month that promotes awareness and understanding of Hispanic culture and the positive contributions the Hispanic community has made to life in the United States.
Our event gives students the chance to learn more about science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers and to see these careers are open to people of all ethnic backgrounds and genders.
Often, students don’t see these career paths represented within their communities. Our program shows them the potential positive contributions they can grow up to make in their community and country. I am proud of the fact we have reached students in 13 different communities around Chicagoland and counting.
I am gratified by Argonne management’s support of this event and other club activities and by the support we receive from employees throughout the laboratory. That’s inspiring for us.
The Argonne Hispanic/Latino club celebrates and brings awareness to Hispanic-Latino culture year round. In addition to social networking at the lab, the club offers services to the Hispanic-Latino communities of greater Chicagoland. This includes contributing to charitable organizations, providing speakers to local schools, hosting career day booths and serving as mentors for youths.
The club is open to all, and we encourage new membership. For more information on the group and its activities, please visit our website or contact me at Kaminski@anl.gov or ext. 2-4777.