ComEd Taps Latino Students to Design Solar-Powered Fashion in Honor of Hispanic Heritage Month
Published: September 29, 2017
CHICAGO (Sept. 20, 2017) – ComEd is shining the Solar Spotlight on Hispanic Heritage Month and engaging more than 50 local Latino high schools students to help design solar-powered fashion.
ComEd’s Solar Spotlight Program will bring together Latino students from a variety of Illinois high schools and non-profit organizations for a two-day immersion session focused on Science, Technology, Engineering Arts, and Math (STEAM).
The Program will take students through live, hands-on solar demonstrations where they will learn about solar energy and solar panels. They also will learn about notable Hispanics in STEAM-related careers, and have the opportunity to construct their own solar-powered cells. ComEd engineers will serve as volunteer mentors to help students and Claudette Soto, founder of VAMOS, will talk to students about her STEM journey and creative ways to improve public spaces using technology.
“Exposure to STEAM experiences is critical as high school students are figuring out options to pursue after high school,” said Fidel Marquez, Senior Vice President, Governmental and External Affairs, ComEd. “The demand for renewable energy is on the rise and solar power is becoming an important part of the clean energy economy. ComEd is offering the Solar Spotlight Program because we want to help diverse students learn about this important energy source and make them aware of great career opportunities they can consider as they plan for their future. And, we also hope that one day they will come work for ComEd.”
This year, ComEd has added the “A” for Art in STEM, making it STEAM and is exposing students to an art component in the program. The students will help Chicago fashion designer Ronald Rodriguez by placing their own created designs on a solar-powered dress and jacket. The two pieces will include solar-powered LED lights and also will also light up the runway at Latino Fashion Week on Saturday, Sept. 30. Later they will be on display at the Mexican Museum of National Art and the Puerto Museum of Art.
“Today’s students are technologically savvy, so if you’re going to engage them in a program you have to make it interesting. That’s why we brought in fashion technology into our Solar Spotlight program. We want to go beyond peaking their interest, we want to create an experience they will remember, one that makes a positive impact on their future,” said Marquez.
ComEd invites the general public to visit www.ComEd.com/SolarSpotlight to learn more about the students’ “Solar Spotlight” journey.
ComEd proudly celebrates diversity year-round through programming that provides broad public exposure to diversity in the communities that the company serves. To learn more about ComEd’s community support, visit ComEd.com/community.
Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), the nation’s leading competitive energy provider, with approximately 10 million customers. ComEd provides service to approximately 3.9 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s population. For more information visit ComEd.com, and connect with the company on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.