Good Evening.
It is an honor and a pleasure to be here once again at BEYA.
At this wonderful event, we honor the best and brightest – the people who are making a difference in our world through their brilliance, initiative, and heart.
Here, we truly stand – “At the intersection of America’s future.”
BEYA is the place where brilliant minds connect, where young people can find the right jobs, and, where today’s problems meet tomorrow’s problem-solvers.
At BEYA, we also come together each year to reaffirm the extraordinary potential in every life and to see how science, technology, engineering, and math open the doors of opportunity for individuals, for communities, and for our country.
For companies like Lockheed Martin, this event is also a gateway – a gateway to building the strong and diverse workforce we need to advance scientific discovery, revolutionize technology, and protect lives.
Tonight, as we celebrate outstanding engineers, scientists, and technologists, you will hear many impressive stories about their special journeys to success.
For those at the start of their careers, we hope these stories of achievement will inspire them as they seek to make their mark on the world.
I’d like to take a moment to share the story of one woman who found inspiration at BEYA.
As a child, Destiny Edwards loved to take things apart and put them back together.
She was always interested in the way things worked.
This interest was intensified by Destiny’s father, who would often take her to work with him.
Destiny’s father was an electrical engineer in the U.S. Navy, who maintained aircraft for the Blue Angels.
As he worked, Destiny would watch spellbound.
She would also wonder, “Where are all the girls?”
Years later, Destiny joined STEM groups like Girls Who Code and, she began attending BEYA as a student at Florida A&M University.
Like her father, Destiny wanted to give back to her country.
Through her participation at BEYA, Destiny learned about Lockheed Martin and the important work we do to support our men and women in uniform.
She knew an engineering career with us would be the “perfect fit”.
So Destiny studied hard and checked-in with us each year at BEYA.
And last year, she interviewed and was hired for a position in our Missiles and Fire Control business.
Now, Destiny is a “Systems Integration Test Engineer” for our Joint Air-to-Surface Stand-off Missile, or JASSM, program.
She says that working for Lockheed Martin gives her a connection with her military family.
Even though she can’t tell them much about the program she’s working on, they know that what she’s doing is supporting our men and women in uniform.
This year, Destiny is back at BEYA – this time as a professional, reaching out to others.
Destiny’s story is a reminder that every generation has a responsibility to ensure we are encouraging the next generation of dreamers and innovators.
For 33 years, Lockheed Martin has partnered with BEYA – and, we are deeply grateful to the leaders here who are helping so many young people see how a career in STEM takes them to “the intersection of America’s future.”
So, tonight, let us celebrate the outstanding contributions of our honorees, let us strengthen our efforts to advance STEM education, and let us recommit ourselves to expanding opportunity to every life we touch.
On behalf of Lockheed Martin, I thank everyone for joining this important event and for supporting all the values it stands for.
Enjoy the evening!
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