Atlas Scholar Isabella Garcia charges Houston’s energy and diversity transition
Atlas Scholars High School Student Isabella Garcia Represents the Next Generation of Energy Changemakers at Houston’s Innovation Incubator Greentown Labs and on the Houston Matters show
HOUSTON, December 13, 2021 — Class of 2022 Atlas Scholar Isabella Garcia was interviewed by Houston Public Media’s Houston Matters about her experience in Atlas Scholars and the program’s efforts to bring greater diversity to the energy industry.
Isabella’s interview is below and begins at minute 25 in the full show here.
“[At Atlas Scholars] you’ll develop your own personal skills and learn more about yourself, but you’ll also definitely learn the necessities and unspoken rules of the professional environment. I’ve learned so much, and I still have one more year to go.”
HOUSTON, December 8, 2021 — Hispanic student Isabella Garcia represented Houston non-profit Atlas Scholars on December 7th at Greentown Labs Houston during an event hosting industry policymakers, entrepreneurs, investors, academics, and business leaders, brought together by ALLY Energy. The current Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, Jose W. Fernandez, addressed the crowd and answered questions regarding the role of innovators in the energy transition. Following the session, Juliana Garaizar, VP of Innovation of Greentown Labs, led a tour of the facility.
Atlas Scholar Isabella Garcia with Under Secretary Jose Fernandez and ALLY Energy CEO Katie Mehnert
Following the tour, Garcia, a third-year Atlas Scholar and high school senior at Westchester Academy for International Studies, pitched to prospective corporate partners in a rapid-fire presentation. She was joined with leaders from the community non-profits Black Girls Do Engineer, Children's Environmental Literacy Foundation, RedM, and Texas Relief Warriors, emceed by ChampionX Director of Enterprise Brand and Sales Communications, Laura Davidson.
Isabella pitched Atlas Scholars in a rapid-fire presentation appealing to corporations to sponsor and host internship, mentorship, and scholarship opportunities for Houston high school students
In her appeal for corporations to sponsor and host internship, mentorship, and scholarship opportunities for Houston high school students, Garcia stated, “Data proves that high school alone is not preparing students to be successful in their college and careers; efforts to include more diverse and inclusive workforces that focus on college recruitment are simply too late. The reality is that there are much bleaker outcomes for students of color and those who grew up economically disadvantaged.”
Data provided by the Texas2036 Initiative reflects today, 90% of Texas students graduate high school, but only 50% are considered college or career ready. Only 39% of economically disadvantaged high school graduates are postsecondary ready, compared to 61% of non-economically disadvantaged peers. By race, 32% of Black students and 44% of Hispanic students graduate post-secondary, compared to 61% of white students. “Therefore, more needs to be done earlier…” claimed Garcia. “Programs like Atlas Scholars introduce students to the problems that industries are working to solve right now. Atlas Scholars is a transformative development program designed to prepare high school students for the realities of the corporate environment they will encounter once they reach the workforce. We work in partnership with Iapetus Holdings to get exposure to real-world projects, professional environments, and potential career paths.” Garcia discovered her passion for sustainability during her internship while researching the Paris Climate Change Agreement, which has led to her desire to pursue a career ensuring sustainability across urban cities.
“This program is simply the most direct impact a company can make on affecting the quality of diverse prospects they can hire while transforming socioeconomic disadvantages into opportunities for the next generation of energy leaders.”
Welcoming its tenth class of scholars this summer, Garcia presented the program’s invitation for additional partners, space, and funding. Jenna Moon, Atlas Scholars’ Executive Director, stated, “During what has been coined ‘the great resignation’ — the current shortage of workers resulting from massive numbers of employees quitting or accepting early retirement — becoming a partner of Atlas Scholars represents an opportunity for Houston host companies to benefit from a summer internship program, while feeding the pipeline for a diverse new generation of motivated workers to learn about and showcase their workplace. This program is simply the most direct impact a company can make on affecting the quality of diverse prospects they can hire while transforming socioeconomic disadvantages into opportunities for the next generation of energy leaders”.
