Press Release For Immediate Release

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Arizona Science Center Awards Mesa High School Graduate the Chevy Humphrey Women in STEM Scholarship

Scholarship Honors STEM advocate and Museum leader Chevy Humphrey

 

PHOENIX, AZ– July 12, 2022 – The Chevy Humphrey Women in STEM Scholarship was awarded to Odalis Lopez Villegas, a 2022 graduate of Mesa High School in Mesa. Funded by the Helios Education Foundation, the scholarship is in honor of Chevy Humphrey, former Arizona Science Center CEO and President from 2005-2020. The Science Center will select a recipient on an annual basis for the next 9 years.

This year’s recipient, Odalis, will attend Arizona State University. Inspired at an early age by a doctor that served her community in Mexico, she plans to major in Health Care Administration. “Though I didn't understand his position at the time, Dr. Gomez was the hero I desired to be. His books, his scales, and his ‘cool posters’ that I now recognize as the human anatomy all somehow felt like puzzle pieces that connected like a life's calling; in fact this was my life's calling.” An accomplished graduating senior, Odalis was also recently named as one of 5 Mesa students to receive the Student Community Service Awards from Mesa Citizen of the Year Association.

“Inspiring and supporting young women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math is incredibly important to Arizona Science Center. This award celebrates the contributions of Chevy Humphrey, whose STEM advocacy and inclusion work has been vital to expanding STEM education here in Arizona,” said Guy Labine, The Hazel A. Hare President and CEO of Arizona Science Center.

The scholarship includes an annual award of $2,000, and one year of mentoring services from Education Forward Arizona, an organization dedicated to increasing the state’s college attainment rate.

“Ensuring STEM education is accessible to any student that wants it is an important goal, and we are thrilled to award Odalis with this scholarship, while honoring the work of Chevy Humphrey, who has left a lasting legacy here in Arizona,” said Matt Sotelo, Program Manager of Success Services. “We hope to encourage more young women to pursue a career in a STEM field.”

By the time students reach college, women are significantly underrepresented in STEM majors — only around 21% of engineering majors are women and only around 19% of computer and information science majors are women. This scholarship is one small step toward closing this gap.

 “We believe every Arizona student should have the opportunity and support to attend and succeed in college," said Jane Roig, Vice-Chair of Helios Education Foundation’s Board of Directors. “We are thrilled to offer this award for the second year in a row to an outstanding recipient."

The scholarship recipient can use the money for tuition, books or room and board at any Arizona institution of higher education.

 

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About Arizona Science Center The mission of Arizona Science Center is to inspire, educate, and engage curious minds through science. The Center, located at 600 E. Washington Street in downtown Phoenix, features more than 300 hands-on exhibits, live demonstrations, a range of interactive online science content, the state-of-the-art Dorrance Planetarium, and the five-story Irene P. Flinn Giant Screen Theater and exciting science programs for people of all ages. CREATE at Arizona Science Center®, adjacent to the main building, is a 6,500 square-foot community maker space provides workshops, including 3D printing, laser cutting, woodworking, and sewing. Arizona Science Center offers programs for all ages, including CAMP INNOVATION, Teen programs, Professional Development and Learning for Educators, and so much more. To learn more or to reserve tickets, visit azscience.org or call 602-716-2000.

 

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