On December 1, 2017, 105 students from the Archdiocese of Newark representing seven Catholic High Schools participated in an engineering workshop lead by Engineering Tomorrow (ET).  ET is a non-profit organization that provides educational opportunities to high school students in a multitude of engineering disciplines by utilizing the math and science they have learned in the classroom to real world applications to create awareness of a potential career path. 

In 2014, Bill Woodburn, a Partner at Global Infrastructure Partners and Former President & CEO of GE Infrastructure, founded Engineering Tomorrow. Megan Barrett, of Engineering Tomorrow, stated, “ET was founded to encourage high school students to pursue engineering in college and to bolster the number of U.S. students entering the field of engineering by getting them excited and energized about careers in the field of engineering in order to continue our country’s leadership in innovation and problem solving at the highest levels.”Students were wecolmed by Dr. Margaret Dames, Superintendent of Schools for the Archdiocese. Dr. Dames shared that “the Archdiocese is so fortunate to partner with Engineering Tomorrow to offer this wonderful educational opportunity for our high school students. Their programming offered invaluable insights into one of the world’s leading industries to prepare our students for their future successes. Those insights combined with the passion of the professionals from Engineering Tomorrow made the day a great success and rewarding experience for everyone involved. It benefited our students and faculty, who have already begun to explore ways to implement the workshop into their classrooms.”

Elizabeth MacDonald, a sophomore at Hudson Catholic, felt the workshop was “a good opportunity to explore and open our minds about engineering.” Elizabeth also shared that “prior to the workshop I did not really think about engineering and now it may be a field that I am considering in college.”

Kana Wang, a sophomore at Union Catholic, said he “always had a passion for engineering and enjoyed the process and competitive structure of the workshop.” Kana felt the breakout sessions “provided helpful advice on engineering as an area of study and career path.” Kana is always looking for opportunities to challenge himself and one day hopes “to build that rocket.”

The Archdiocese of Newark is looking forward to more programing with Engineering Tomorrow in the future as all of their schools look to enhance their Science, Technology, Engineering and Math education.

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The Archdiocese of Newark has 93 schools educating children grades preK-12  in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Union Counties.  The Office of the Superintendent of Schools is committed to the promotion, preservation, and growth of all Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese. It strives for the development of programs of educational excellence which convey the message of Christ and prepare students for life. For additional information, contact Ryan Michelson, Director of School Advancement  at 973-497-4258 or michelry@rcan.org.