Recently, Dr. Heather Wilson, President of the University of El Paso, Texas (UTEP), visited Ciudad Juarez for only the second time since being instated in 2019 after border closures following the COVID-19 pandemic restricted crossings. Luckily, Dr. Wilson promised this would not be her last visit.
Dr. Wilson’s visit to Juarez is a reminder that UTEP has more students from Mexico than any other university in America.
However, it also underlines the kind of work we need more of in Ciudad Juarez, the kind of work for which Technology HUB has been leading the way forward.
Technology HUB has been working closely with partners and its subsidiary NGOs (Fundación Axcel and the Bridge Accelerator) to build alliances and collaborations across borders between El Paso and Ciudad Juarez and within the business sectors on both sides of the border.
Harmony and mutual exchange have always existed between El Paso and Ciudad Juárez. Today there is over $600 billion in annual binational trade between US and Mexico, with 20% of that total US-Mexico trade happening at the El Paso and Ciudad Juárez border.
Technology HUB has been working with the support of major partners like Microsoft to boost the employment sector and uplift our kids with increased access to STEMs education.
Together with partners like Microsoft and Dr. Heather Wilson at UTEP, we are hopeful that we can build a brighter future for both our cities with collaboration and education.
Importance of STEMs
STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education is essential for children to be able to follow their curiosity and develop innovative and artistic ideas. Imagination, creation, and structured play are crucial in a child’s education, both for being prepared to enter fulfilling careers but also for building confidence and the capacity to think critically.
By studying STEM subjects, children learn how to identify problems and solve them, define ideas, ideate, build prototypes, investigate an issue and test multiple alternative solutions. Unfortunately, today only 45% of US schools teach computer science, thus lagging behind other countries across all four categories.
Fundación Axcel (an NGO subsidiary of Technology Hub) has started the Technology and Literacy in Schools (TEALS) program, the first expansion program outside the US, which is available in 19 schools this year, advancing 326 students in El Paso. The TEALS program is made possible by dedicated volunteers who participate in up to 40 hours of training, lesson planning, and delivery.
As well, Fab Lab Juarez at Technology HUB offers a learning and experimentation laboratory where kids K-12 can experiment with 3D printing, robotics, and virtual reality.
Fundación Axcel and Technology HUB are committed to seeing the ongoing inclusion of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) in schools. These programs aid students in helping kids as they go through their education and thus contribute to the community.
Because we understand that the future of our world rests on the shoulders of our youth, Technology HUB, Fundación Axcel, and the Bridge Accelerator are committed to social responsibility and building a better future.
Education Builds Partnerships and Collaboration
As part of its mandate to increase the accessibility of university education, UTEP is looking for ways to increase its enrollment of students from Northern Mexico. Heather Wilson even goes so far as to say that “if a student has graduated from high school, it’s almost certain that we will admit them.”
What’s more, UTEP is also offering opportunities for prospective students to win merit scholarships, as well as Texas tuition rates for students commuting from Ciudad Juarez.
This cross-cultural, bi-national exchange is bringing about a positive future for residents on both sides of the border as more students graduate and get the opportunity to choose a life of hard work and giving back.
As more community members are built up with a fulsome education and a sense of self-esteem, more entrepreneurs will emerge to develop the start-ups and SMEs that fuel our communities with jobs and industry.
The communities of El Paso and Ciudad Juarez can achieve far more by working together than they could ever hope to achieve in isolation.
Technology HUB’s Contribution to Education
At Technology HUB, we believe that education, be it B2B mentorship and SME acceleration or STEMs for the young, is the key to sustainable and economically profitable growth for the future of all our communities.
This is why we are so grateful to be embarking on a new era of partnership in these endeavors with UTEP and Heather Wilson.
If you’re interested in finding out more about Technology HUB, the Bridge Accelerator, or Fundación Axcel, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
