Veterans Memorial High School had their Patriot Engineering Banquet on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 at Balli’s Express Event Center. The Patriots Engineering sponsors Ms. Veronica Burgoa and Mr. Roy Villanueva welcomed students and parents to the banquet. Mr. Fidel Garza, VMHS Principal, gave the opening remarks to all in attendance.
“Your hard work has not only put our engineering program on the map in the Rio Grande Valley but also in the state and internationally,” said Mr. Garza. “This coming school year, we are in the planning phase, by 2019 we will be offering our students the opportunity to obtain an associate’s degree in engineering by the time they graduate from high school.”
Senior students in the organization were presented with a red graduation stole with the Patriot Engineering logo embroidered on it. This is the first time ever that these stoles have been presented to the engineering students and they will proudly wear them at graduation.
The students were also presented with Career Skills Certificates for completing their precision exams. An OSHA certification can also be obtained their freshman year and then students continue with other certifications throughout their high school career.
Two engineering students were also recognized for being selected to attend a university tour. Briana Diaz and Marissa Leal, were completely surprised by the announcement but very happy to hear they were selected.
Diaz was one of three students selected to attend the University Tours in Boston which includes Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Brown University from June 27-30, 2018. Leal will be attending the University of Maryland and George Washington University from July 24-27, 2018. She was one of four students selected to participate in this university tour.
Congratulations to all the Patriot Engineering students for their commitment and dedication to the program! A special thank you and a certificate of appreciation was presented to Mr. Marcos Lopez for his commitment to VMHS.