Last Saturday, at the ComEd Chicago North headquarters, nothing could tear 50 local students from their science project – not lunch, not dessert, not even a group photo. They were hyper-focused on ensuring they finished creating their very own solar-powered battery phone chargers at the one-day ComEd Black History Month STEM Labs event.
Brother and sister, Reinaldo and Talia, worked across from each other as they stripped wires, preparing to solder these to their solar cells. Reinaldo, 17, found out about this event during his participation in Chicago BUILDS, a Chicago Public Schools trades training program for juniors and seniors, and invited his younger sister Talia, 15, to join him, knowing her interest in STEM.
Talia and Reinaldo working on their solar-powered batteries.
“In the past, I’ve made a robot with my dad,” said Talia. “I like to create new things, it’s fun to solder, put things together, and see my finished work. I also think it’s really cool that we have the opportunity to learn how to create something, like solar energy, that could potentially save our Earth from harmful fossil fuels.”
“I want to go into the trades because it’s more hands-on and it looks rewarding,” said Reinaldo. “But I also know it’s important to try different things and get experience before settling on one [career path]. ComEd provides amazing opportunities I wasn’t even aware of. Our mentor was telling us of other program opportunities that sound rewarding and exciting that I’ll be looking into.”
Groups of students partnered with ComEd mentors to help with their projects and answer questions about education and career pathways at both the utility company and in the energy industry. This is the third year mentor Schereina Horton, senior workforce development specialist, has volunteered at the Black History Month STEM Labs event and says it’s a great opportunity to allow students to obtain hands-on experience.
Schereina Horton helping participant Reinaldo.
“It’s really rewarding to see them understand how solar energy can power their devices,” said Schereina. “Through these programs, we’re ensuring opportunities to explore different areas of work in the energy sector and how these function together to deliver power to our customers. For example, right now, Talia is focused on STEM and Reinaldo is focused on the trades, so it would be great to see them one day working together in different areas of the company.”
While Black Americans make up 12% of the U.S. workforce, only 9% are in STEM careers. To change this disparity, the National Science Foundation says that by presenting Black high schoolers with STEM learning opportunities, they are more likely to pursue education and careers in STEM. With the energy transformation expected to add up to 150,000 jobs in Illinois by 2050, ComEd is preparing to build a local, skilled, and diverse talent pipeline needed to maintain and modernize the grid that powers more than 9 million lives across northern Illinois.
Jason Thomas, executive director at 3 Seeds Mentoring Group, a community organization serving youth in the Chicagoland south suburbs, has brought groups of participants to ComEd STEM Labs four different times. This year, Jason brought 9 students, who he says would not easily encounter this kind of programming outside of Chicago.
“I have some really bright kids, some in the top 10 or top 20 percent of their class, who really take to these events and pride themselves in completing their projects and meeting ComEd professionals,” said Jason. “It’s good career exposure, which aligns with my non-profit because they get to interact with genuine people who look like them and who can share in an informal setting about their career paths. These opportunities can be life-changing, give them hope, and eventually put money in their pockets through growing opportunities in the energy industry.”
ComEd has hosted STEM Labs events since 2015, which have reached approximately 2,000 students from across the region who have not only created fun science projects ranging from Bluetooth speakers to robots but have been inspired by careers in the energy sector. To learn more about ComEd education and training opportunities throughout the year, visit ComEd.com/CleanEnergyJobs.
