Olympic champion’s STEM program will assist Newark schools

Listen to this article

Newark middle schools were chosen to participate in Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky’s Dive Into STEM Education program, run in collaboration with Panasonic, during the company’s Tech Talk on Jan. 8 in Las Vegas.

Ledecky is a 22-year-old Stanford University student and the current world-record holder in the women’s 400, 800 and 1500-meter freestyle swimming events. She has won 15 world championships and five Olympic gold medals.

The digital program is aimed at enabling and encouraging students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The program will also serve middle schools around San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Denver and Reno, Nev. Ledecky and Panasonic have chosen education-technology company EVERFI to help deliver the program into schools.

Panasonic has long invested in programs and institutions that support the development of students, youth and tomorrow’s workforce. In Newark — home to Panasonic’s North American headquarters — high school students intern at the company during the school year, gaining real-world experience in the corporate environment while applying technological skills in support of business projects.

The Panasonic Foundation recently launched Coding as a Second Language computer coding academies in collaboration with the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, which introduces and teaches computer programming to Latino students. According to the foundation, the program makes pathways in tech accessible to underrepresented minorities and transforms communities by providing access to technology in underserved areas.