Message from the President
Synopsys Outreach Foundation Adopts a New Vision and Mission
2020 has shown a light on the continued (and growing) need of marginalized California communities to have access to a quality project-based STEM education. In light of COVID, we at the Outreach Foundation have taken the last few months to take a step back and reflect on our ongoing sponsorships and programs to see if they were still meeting our community’s needs during this difficult time. Our goal was to unearth whether we were still providing adequate support for the educators, parents, and, most importantly, students who are most at risk of falling between the cracks (and out of the STEM pipeline).
At this time, we are thrilled to announce a new mission and focus of our organization that we believe will better empower our marginalized Bay Area students to excel in STEM: Collaborate with Greater Bay Area education stakeholders and community partners to provide equitable and inclusive opportunities in project-based science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
Here are a couple of steps we are taking to bring this new mission to life:
- We are limiting our programs to the Greater Bay Area (CA) in order to deepen our impact with those students who need our help within our ‘backyard’
- We are increasing our investment in programs for K-8 teachers and students
We are focusing in on serving marginalized communities and lessening their barriers to access in project-based STEM - We are providing more robust support of teacher training from K-12, helping teachers bring project-based STEM to life within their classrooms
- We are supporting a broader portfolio of project-based STEM events for high school students
Over upcoming months, we’ll be sharing additional information as to the impact this new mission will have on our programs. In the meantime, any questions can be sent to hello@outreach-foundation.org.
We look forward to another 21 year of igniting interest, nurturing potential, and empowering all K-12 students in STEM! Thank you for joining us on this journey.
Best,
Katherine
Kate Houston
President, Synopsys Outreach Foundation
Katherine Houston is a Bay Area leader in Corporate Social Responsibility. Over the past decade, she has held a variety of community-focused positions in government, universities, corporations, and nonprofits. Katherine is enthusiastic about creating more opportunities for inclusion in STEM – especially for the underserved communities in the Bay Area. To contact Katherine, please email her at Lauren Foote at lauren.foote@outreach-foundation.org.
