CITGO Brightens Future for Alief ISD Students with STEM Scholarships

HOUSTON, Aug. 15, 2016 /3BL Media/ – Fifteen graduating seniors from five area high schools earned scholarships from CITGO Petroleum Corporation to help them pursue higher degrees in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), thanks to a partnership between CITGO and the Alief Independent School District (ISD). Support from CITGO for Alief ISD students is part of the larger CITGO STEM Scholarship program, which provides funds for high-achieving students in public schools across the Houston area.  
 
“STEM fields are highly competitive, and having a college education is very important to long-term success in those industries,” said Alief ISD Business and Community Coordinator Dee Jones. “Thanks to this STEM scholarship, CITGO is helping deserving students to realize their futures and take a big step towards their own STEM careers.”
 
“The Alief ISD encourages students to explore the sciences in the classroom, and we’re excited to help these students take that curiosity to the next level through the CITGO STEM Scholarship,” CITGO President and CEO Nelson Martinez said. “We want to ensure that all students have the resources they need to secure bright futures for themselves through their studies, and it is our hope that these scholarships help students live out their dreams.”
 
Throughout Houston, CITGO works with various partners to contribute to educational and economic growth for generations to come. In May of 2016 CITGO awarded STEM scholarships to 20 deserving graduating high school seniors within the Houston Independent School District, as well as 15 high school students from the Spring Branch Independent District. Last year, the company’s employee volunteer group, TeamCITGO, dedicated more than 1,600 volunteer hours in the Houston area to support social investment and education programs. This includes the CITGO and the Harris County Sheriff’s Department Kindling Young Minds program, which promotes attendance in the county’s schools by rewarding students who stay in school with Kindle Fire tablets to use in their studies. Additionally, CITGO employees participate in back-to-school supply drives, which to date have provided nearly 200 students with the items they need for the school year. 
 
The CITGO commitment to STEM education extends far beyond Houston, with support for educational opportunities for students and teachers alike across Texas and throughout the United States. In the Lone Star State, CITGO has helped make Moody High School in Corpus Christi into one of the nation’s top-performing STEM high schools with the CITGO Innovation Academy. More broadly, CITGO employees across the United States are actively involved in local schools, helping to enhance students’ STEM education with robotics competitions, technology fairs, presentations and career days. Additionally, CITGO has helped bring more than 60 students and teachers from Texas, Illinois and Louisiana aboard the Ocean Exploration Trust’s Exploration Vessel Nautilus, to share deep-sea exploration research and education they could share with their classrooms.
 
About CITGO
CITGO, based in Houston, is a refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products. The company is owned by CITGO Holding, Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A., the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. For more information, visit http://www.citgo.com/.