Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers :: Ay Mijo Why Do You Want To Be An Engineer?

“Latinos are the fastest growing population group in the United States but comprise only 3 percent of the nations scientists and engineers. Thats according to the National Center for Education Statistics and it is not good news, given a growing need for U.S. engineering and other math and science expertise and innovation in the increasingly competitive global marketplace.

To address the need for more Hispanics in engineering, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers SHPE is endorsing the new book Ay Mijo Why Do You Want To Be An Engineer? as a way to get the word out to young people about the benefits of pursuing a career in the field.

Ay Mijo which means “my son” in Spanish tells the stories of 12 Hispanic men who overcame challenges to become successful engineers today. SHPE will launch distribution of the book, which is part of a 12-part series by Edna Campos Gravenhorst of St. Louis, on Feb. 20 at The University of Missouri – St. Louis during a book signing event at the University Bookstore – Millennium Student Center.

Gravenhorst, illustrator Sunny Santos and featured engineers, including Romeo Perez with Exxon Mobil Corporation and Luis Pizano with Distribution Control Systems, Inc., will sign copies of the book, and Gravenhorst will read excerpts. Santos illustrations of the book cover and of each highlighted engineer as a child will be on exhibit during the event.

As the source for quality Hispanic engineers and technical talent, SHPE is helping promote Ay Mijo to increase awareness among Hispanic students about the opportunities found in engineering and the scholarships and other resources available to them. A portion of proceeds from the sale of Ay Mijo will benefit the scholarship program of the Advancing Hispanic Excellence in Technology, Engineering, Math and Science AHETEMS Foundation of SHPE.

“Many studies have shown what we at SHPE see all too often: not enough Hispanic men are excelling in or graduating from high school or applying to college,” said Manuel Hernandez, vice president of SHPEs national board of directors, chairman of AHETEMS and one of the engineers profiled in Ay Mijo.

“By participating in the release of Ay Mijo, we can introduce young men to role models who have realized their dreams through an education and career in engineering. The true stories of our own people can be the very best motivation toward success and personal satisfaction in life, and Im honored that my own story is in this book,” Hernandez said.

Each of the 12 books will cover math, science, engineering and technology, and targets either Hispanic young men or women. The first book, Ay Mija Why Do You Want to Be An Engineer? was released in the summer of 2006 and profiled successful Hispanic female engineers.

The engineers profiled in the book are Miguel Alemany, Proctor & Gamble; Jesus Cardoso, Ford Motor Company; Nery R. Cruz, United Technology Corporation; Cesar Gonzales, IBM; Alfred J. Griffin, Texas Instruments; Michael E. Gutierrez, Lockheed Martin Corporation; Jose Hernandez, NASA; Manuel Hernandez, Raytheon Corporation; David A. Laguna-Aponte, Shell Oil Company; Ruben Martinez, Northrop Grumman Corporation; Romeo R. Perez, Exxon Mobil Corporation; and Luis Pizano, Distribution Control Systems, Inc.

More information about the book and AHETEMS scholarships is available at www.shpe.org/ .”

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