Good Evening, everyone.
It’s an honor and a privilege to join you for the 28th annual HENAAC Awards.
On behalf of the 98,000 dedicated men and women of Lockheed Martin, congratulations to this year’s HENAAC Award winners.
Each of tonight’s honorees has made outstanding contributions in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math, and are exceptional role models for the Hispanic community.
As a founding sponsor of HENAAC and a long-time partner of Great Minds in STEM, Lockheed Martin has proudly celebrated the extraordinary talent this conference has brought together since 1989.
Time and again, I am humbled by the achievements of the individuals in this room and inspired by their commitment to giving back to their communities.
The 2016 honorees carry on that tradition and have raised the bar for excellence and achievement yet again.
Let’s give them all a round of applause.
This year’s theme, “Excellence through Diversity,” reminds us that we are at our best when we work together.
Excellence comes when people with different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives come together to solve tough challenges.
For this to happen, we must all do our part to create educational and professional environments where everyone can do their best work.
For Lockheed Martin, this means supporting organizations and programs like Great Minds in STEM’s VIVA Technology, which promotes STEM education for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade to ensure that all communities get the resources they need for their children to excel.
Working together, the Viva Technology program has reached over 110,000 students, teachers and parents.
And this is just one example of how we can work together to ensure the next generation of HENAAC award winners is equipped for success.
Once again, congratulations to our 2016 honorees. You are an inspiration to us all and, more importantly, an example for the next generation of innovators and leaders.
It’s an honor to celebrate with you this evening.
Thank you.
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