Texas Girls Collaborative Project Announces Jenn Makins Among the 2023 Stand Up for STEM Educator Award Winners
November 30, 2023
The Texas Girls Collaborative Project is proud to announce the winners of the 2023 Stand Up for STEM Awards. These awards spotlight individuals and organizations in Texas who are significantly advancing women and girls in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).
The award ceremony will be part of the 7th annual Texas Women and Girls in STEM Summit, which will be held virtually on December 1, 2023. Winners will be celebrated across various categories, including High School Individual and Organization Awards, Collegiate Awards, Mentor Awards, Educator Awards, Educational Organization Awards, and Corporate Awards.
Jenn Makins, Executive Director of the STEM Center of Excellence at Camp Whispering Cedars, Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas, is among the honorees for the 2023 Educator Awards. Makins, an IF/THEN Ambassador, has played a pivotal role in the STEM Center of Excellence. Her leadership has been essential in developing impactful programs and engaging the community. She leverages her extensive industry connections and innovative strategies to establish the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas as a frontrunner in educational practices.
"Empowering girls and women in STEM isn't just about education; it's about creating a future where our voices and ideas lead the charge in innovation and problem-solving," said Jenn Makins. "Every girl we inspire today is a step towards a more inclusive and diverse tomorrow in STEM fields."
Her commitment to empowering girls and women in STEM aligns perfectly with the mission of the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas. Under her guidance, the STEM Center of Excellence has initiated significant partnerships, providing programming focused on contemporary industry standards and educational requirements.
The awards recognize the vital role women play in the future of STEM fields, underscoring the importance of gender diversity in these areas. The Texas Girls Collaborative Project celebrates these achievements and their contributions to making Texas a leading location for innovation, technological advancements, and social inclusivity in STEM. Following the event, a video of the awards recognition will be available on YouTube.
The 2023 Stand Up for STEM High School Individual Awards are presented to:
- Zoe Chandler, High School Junior, Midlothian Heritage High School, Midlothian, TX
- Julianna Hernandez, High School Senior, Austin Achieve, Austin, TX
- Leah Lukose, High School Junior, St. Dominic Savio Catholic High School, Austin, TX
- Chinualumogu Nwosu, High School Junior, Bridgeland High School, Fairbanks ISD, Cypress, TX
- Amarachi Uche Eboh, High School Junior, Talkington School for Young Women Leaders, Lubbock, TX
The 2023 Stand Up for STEM High School Organization Award is presented to:
- The STEMinist Collaborative Project, Harmony School of Innovation, Waco, TX
The 2023 Stand Up for STEM Collegiate Award is presented to:
- Association for Women in Mathematics – UT Chapter, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
The 2023 Stand Up for STEM Mentor Awards are presented to:
- Kara Branch, Founder and CEO, Black Girls Do Engineer Corporation
- Alyson Freeman, Global Lead, Women in Action, Dell Technologies
The 2023 Stand Up for STEM Educator Awards are presented to:
- Amanda Chacon, Librarian/STEM Mentor, Sheldon ISD, Houston, TX
- Tiffani Cortez, Engineering Teacher, Harmony School of Innovation, Waco, TX
- Cynthia Hopkins, Kaffie Middle School, Corpus Christi, TX
- Jenn Makins, Executive Director of the STEM Center of Excellence at Camp Whispering Cedars, Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas, Dallas, TX
- Cynthia Nyvall, Curriculum Specialist II, Texas Education Agency Region 7 Education Service Center, Kilgore, TX
The 2023 Stand Up for STEM Educational Organization Award is presented to:
- Austin Urban Technology Movement
The 2023 Stand Up for STEM Corporate Award is presented to:
- Applied Materials
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We Are Girl Scouts
Whether they want to climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike, advocate for climate justice, or make their first best friends, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges. Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas serves girls and adult volunteers across 32 counties. To change the workforce pipeline in STEM and meet the urgent need for female voices, engagement, and leadership in the fastest-growing sector of the U.S. economy, Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas opened the STEM Center of Excellence in 2018. The STEM Center is a 92-acre state-of-the-art camp just outside of Dallas where girls can experience programs in astronomy, robotics, coding, computer science, and more. Recently, the Girl Scouts of Northeast was recognized as a finalist for the DCEO Nonprofit and Corporate Citizenship Awards for Leadership Excellence and the Dallas Business Journal Outstanding Directors Award. Learn more at gsnetx.org or call 972-349-2400.
About the Texas Girls Collaborative Project
The Texas Girls Collaborative Project (TxGCP) is a statewide network of advocates and educators from non-profits, K-12 schools, universities and colleges, and companies across Texas and beyond who are committed to motivating and supporting women and girls to pursue and thrive in careers in STEM. TxGCP leads the annual Texas Women & Girls in STEM Summit, disseminates curriculum and effective practices, and supports a network of collaborators, resource sharing, and STEM communications throughout the state. TxGCP is a state collaborative of the National Girls Collaborative Project.
