{"id":378194,"date":"2025-11-14T11:26:24","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T11:26:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/378194\/"},"modified":"2025-11-14T11:26:24","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T11:26:24","slug":"san-antonio-stem-expo-connects-middle-schoolers-with-careers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/378194\/","title":{"rendered":"San Antonio STEM expo connects middle schoolers with careers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hundreds of middle schoolers crowded inside the Boeing Center at Tech Port, gathering around technology exhibits, trying their hand at dexterity exercises and pointing when Spot, a four-legged robot, whirred to life.<\/p>\n

The tech-driven spectacle marks the 15th year, or quincea\u00f1era, of the CORE4 STEM Expo, an event put on by the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to connect inner city students with \u201creal-world\u201d science, technology, engineering and math experiences. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think this is our way \u2014 the chamber\u2019s way \u2014 of just trying to help tomorrow\u2019s workforce: investing in tomorrow\u2019s workforce today,\u201d said Luis Rodriguez, president and CEO of the Hispanic chamber. <\/p>\n

\"\"Spot, a four-legged robot dog, greets, watches and interacts with students as they filter in and out throughout the CORE4 STEM Expo event at the Boeing Center at Tech Port on Nov. 6. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

In its 15 years of running, Rodriguez recalled how the expo\u2019s changed to fit student and workforce needs. <\/p>\n

The very first CORE 4 STEM Expo in 2010, held at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, focused on high school sophomores and juniors.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe messed up,\u201d Rodriguez said. Trying to make STEM connections in high school is too late. <\/p>\n

\"\"Hundreds of San Antonio area middle school students attended and participated in the 15th annual CORE4 STEM Expo at the Boeing Center at Tech Port on Nov. 6. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

So the expo pivoted and now caters exclusively to middle schoolers. The goal, Rodriguez said, is to spark their imaginations and show them \u201cthey belong here.\u201d <\/p>\n

During this year\u2019s Nov. 5-6 expo, the chamber welcomed 2,000 students from school districts including San Antonio ISD, Edgewood ISD and Harlandale ISD. This way, STEM educators and employers can \u201ccatch\u201d students before they decide on a high school pathway, a requirement in Texas public schools.<\/p>\n

Local employers like Toyota Texas, CPS Energy and the San Antonio Water System share the expo space to show students live demonstrations of what their work entails, often letting students try tasks like controlling robotic arms and stamping equipment.<\/p>\n

One Toyota demonstration let students virtually spray paint with a paint gun. The program then gave students feedback on their execution. <\/p>\n

High school STEM programs like CAST STEM and Alamo Academies are also present, encouraging students to enroll. <\/p>\n

Maurice Salazar works in human resources and development at Toyota Texas. He also runs the company\u2019s Advanced Manufacturing Technician program, a way for students to earn an associate degree and technician certifications at the same time.<\/p>\n

Using an \u201cearn while you learn\u201d model, AMT students spend three days a week in the field and two days in the classroom, making about $40,000 a year. Salazar recruits high schoolers for the program, and is especially focused on encouraging more girls to enter STEM programs as early as they can. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat all these girls [current AMT students] have in common: they were in a STEM program throughout high school, and they stayed with it because it was seamless. It was on their campus,\u201d Salazar said. <\/p>\n

When Salazar recruits, he looks for students with STEM backgrounds in high school. These students don\u2019t just show a higher interest in these job fields, but also higher problem-solving skills, he explained. <\/p>\n

\"\"Brandeis High School seniors Allan Anto and Nathan Patlovany lead a robotics demonstration to San Antonio middle schoolers during the 15th annual CORE4 STEM Expo held at the Boeing Center at Tech Port on Nov. 6. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone who has a STEM background, when they apply, that\u2019s a better opportunity than somebody who just took general educational courses because of their interests and their engagement,\u201d Salazar said. <\/p>\n

The push for students to get interested in STEM isn\u2019t just about recruiting more workers. Industry experts say careers in STEM often pay better than other fields, aiding in social mobility. <\/p>\n

On average, skilled technicians that come out of programs like Toyota\u2019s AMT school, can make between $70,000 and $100,000, Salazar said. The median salary for jobs offered at Port San Antonio, a tech and business hub on the South Side, is about $112,000, Rodriguez told the Report. <\/p>\n

Isabella Neal is in her second year at the AMT program. She was at the expo encouraging girls to consider enrolling in STEM-focused schools. <\/p>\n

Once Neal graduates next summer, she\u2019ll get hired on a full-time maintenance technician with full benefits. She likes the AMT\u2019s learning model; she likes making connections between what she\u2019s learning inside Palo Alto College\u2019s classrooms and what she\u2019s learning at Toyota\u2019s manufacturing plant.<\/p>\n

In high school, Neal took a strong interest in environmental science. <\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be, like, somewhere where I\u2019m, like, on the field, and involved. Like, I\u2019m actually working with my hands and my mind at the same time,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

For Rodriguez, the expo is also about showcasing employers\u2019 shifting needs from year to year. Coding, for example, was all the rage five years ago, but artificial intelligence is \u201crevolutionizing\u201d tech industries, he said. <\/p>\n

In his role with the Hispanic chamber, Rodriguez is trying to bridge the gap between local school districts and higher education institutions to what local industries need. <\/p>\n

\u201cHaving that streamlined communication between educators and the business sector is critical, and that\u2019s what we\u2019re trying to do with this,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hundreds of middle schoolers crowded inside the Boeing Center at Tech Port, gathering around technology exhibits, trying their…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":378195,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5133],"tags":[5229,128472,181556,181557,68395,7202,181558,7203,26365,358,7453,1103,3187,7593,67,586,132,5230,68,2969,20705],"class_list":{"0":"post-378194","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-antonio","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-boeing-center-at-tech-port","10":"tag-core-4-stem-expo","11":"tag-luis-rodriguez","12":"tag-middle-school","13":"tag-san-antonio","14":"tag-san-antonio-hispanic-chamber-of-commerce","15":"tag-sanantonio","16":"tag-stem","17":"tag-texas","18":"tag-top-story","19":"tag-toyota","20":"tag-tx","21":"tag-typefeature","22":"tag-united-states","23":"tag-united-states-of-america","24":"tag-unitedstates","25":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","26":"tag-us","27":"tag-usa","28":"tag-wc-750-1000"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=378194"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378194\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/378195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=378194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=378194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=378194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}