Spencer Savings Bank, a leading New Jersey-based community bank, recently donated $10,000 to the Research & Development Council of New Jersey to support the state’s educational programs in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The organization founded and established the Governor’s STEM Scholars, a program that provides New Jersey’s high achieving high school and college students with a variety of tools to help them excel in the STEM fields.
In addition to the donation, members of the bank’s IT and Finance teams also welcomed two 2023 Governor’s STEM Scholars Jamie Lynn Connors and Danielle Park to the bank. The team provided them a tour of their work areas and met with them for a few hours to share industry knowledge and insights.
Danielle Park is a senior at Paramus High School and is a published author who has also received numerous awards and honors – including national winner of the Award for Aspiration in Computing (NCWIT) and New Jersey’s Jefferson’s Award Winner for Service Through STEM. Her studies and interest are in the topics of data science, computer science and cybersecurity.
Jamie Lynn Connors attends Drew University and is a mathematics major. She is a member of the Baldwin Honors College at Drew and is Vice President of Drew’s chapter of Pi Mu Epsilon, the mathematics honor society. Her studies and interests are in the topics of mathematics and statistics.
“New Jersey is one of the best in the nation for education and has some impressive talent. Continuing to equip our students, and future leaders, with STEM skills will ensure a more innovative and prosperous economy and allow us to remain globally competitive,” stated Jose B. Guerrero, Chairman and CEO of Spencer Savings Bank. “At Spencer, we’ve supported education for many decades, and in many ways, and are very proud to continue to lend our support to this program. These young, and very bright, students are our future and very driven to using their talents to improve mankind. We look forward to the strong contributions they will make to our society.”
“For more than 60 years, the Research & Development Council has supported the state’s innovation economy, which boasts of a first-class workforce of scientists, engineers and other STEM professionals. Programs like the Governor’s STEM Scholars are preparing the state’s high school and college students to be New Jersey’s future innovation workforce,” said Kevin Campos, PhD, Chair of the Research & Development Council of New Jersey. “Spencer Savings Bank’s continued investment in the Governor’s STEM Scholars ensures we will inspire the next generation of New Jersey STEM leaders and secure our legacy of innovation.”
About the Governor’s STEM Scholars:
The Governor’s STEM Scholars is a private-public partnership between the Research & Development Council, the New Jersey Office of the Governor, the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, the New Jersey Department of Education, and public and private STEM institutions and companies. The Governor’s STEM Scholars provides New Jersey’s high achieving high school and college students with a comprehensive look at the state’s vast STEM economy. Our goal is to introduce the Scholars to industry, government, and academic STEM work in New Jersey, and to establish a profound relationship between these students, STEM and New Jersey. By making genuine connections between the Scholars and professionals from the STEM community, we are keeping these STEM students here to become New Jersey’s future STEM professionals. Our current class of Scholars is made up of 128 high school and college students from 20 of NJ’s 21 counties. 83% of our current class identify as students of color and 64% female. Meet our 2023 Scholars here.
About the Research & Development Council of New Jersey:
The Research & Development Council of New Jersey collaborates among industry, academia and government to grow and strengthen STEM in education, innovation and the economy. The R&D Council is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization whose membership includes representatives from academia, government and industry, including several Fortune 500 companies. More information can be found at the R&D Council’s website: www.rdnj.org.