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UNITED STATES: Don Bosco Technical Institute Receives $250,000 Fletcher Jones Foundation Grant

(MissionNewswire) Don Bosco Technical Institute (Bosco Tech) in Rosemead, California recently received a $250,000 Fletcher Jones Foundation grant that will fund a project that includes the construction of emerging technologies laboratories and curriculum development. The project will focus on three STEM-related fields including green technologies, 3D design prototyping and robotic systems.

The Fletcher Jones Foundation was established in 1969 by computer science pioneer Fletcher R. Jones who was a noted mathematician, businessman and pioneer in the rapidly evolving field of computer science in the 1950s. He co-launched the Computer Sciences Corporation in 1959 with business partner Roy Nutt. While the Foundation’s primary mission is to support private colleges and universities in California, Bosco Tech’s emphasis on preparing bright, talented young men, many from under-served communities, to further their STEM education and careers, is in keeping with the Foundation’s goals in education.

The innovative science, engineering, technology and math curriculum at Bosco Tech allows students to exceed university admission requirements while completing extensive integrated coursework in one of several applied science and engineering fields.

“Bosco Tech is extremely grateful for the Fletcher Jones Foundation’s support and confidence in our students and our programs,” says Xavier Jimenez, president of Bosco Tech. “The new laboratories will function as central learning hubs for students to broaden their understanding of engineering in a sophisticated, real-world environment where disciplines are integrated in up-and-coming professional fields. Students will collaborate on engaging projects that require an understanding of several different areas of science, engineering and design.”

Celebrating its 60th year, Bosco Tech is an all-male Catholic high school that uniquely combines a rigorous college-preparatory program with a technology-focused education. Bringing together young men of all religious, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, the school has a mission of preparing its students to be life-long learners committed to leading successful and productive lives. Programs at the school include computer science, electrical engineering, media arts and materials science, among others.

According to 2012 U.S. census data, close to 18 percent of residents of Rosemead live in poverty, an increase from the overall 15.3 percent poverty rate for California. Youth living in poverty face lower rates of high school graduation and difficulty finding and maintaining employment. Bosco Tech encourages its students to excel academically while helping them remain in school and stay focused on continuing their education into college. For the last several years, all Bosco Tech graduates have achieved college acceptance.

Working in more than 130 countries around the globe, Salesian missionaries have created a vast network of primary, secondary, vocational and technical schools serving poor youth. With a focus on education and workforce development, missionaries worldwide provide disadvantaged youth valuable resources to aid them in finding livable wage employment.

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Sources:

ANS – United States – Laboratories of the future to be opened at Bosco Tech

Don Bosco Technical Institute

United States Census Bureau – Rosemead, California