Students, mentors celebrate collaboration

Engineers from Northrop Grumman in Rolling Meadows gathered with some of the high school students they mentor on Tuesday night, for a celebration of their collaboration.

The dinner and recognition ceremony took place at the Meridian Banquets in Rolling Meadows and drew more than 100 people. Included were some of Northrop’s top executives, Rolling Meadows Mayor Kenneth Nelson and more than 50 mentors.

Students on hand were from Palatine, Wheeling and Hoffman Estates high schools, as well from Proviso West and Harlem high schools.

For the last four years, Northrop employees have volunteered to mentor high school students through their WORTHY, or Worthwhile to Help High School Youth Mentoring and Scholarship, program.

Northrop officials say the program is focused on the science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Once a month, high school teens spend a day working with engineers and other mentors at defense contractor’s facility in Rolling Meadows. Together they design an engineering project, from concept to prototype, before presenting the end result to Northrop’s senior management team.

Hannah Maslanka, a junior at Palatine High School, is working with three mentors: a software engineer, a mechanical engineer and someone from the accounting department to develop her project, which involves wireless technology.

“I always liked the idea of working to design things,” Maslanka said, “but this gives me a chance to see what it’s like in the corporate world. It’s cool.”

Another junior from Palatine High School, Sylvia Szafran, knows something about engineering from her mother, who worked in transportation design in Poland.

“Each time we come, it’s sort of like going to work,” Szafran said, “but I’m doing what I want, so it’s fun.”

The mentoring program has the full support of Northrop Grumman’s corporate executives.

“This is hands-on experience that allows students to come into the work force and see how much fun and exciting it can be,” said Sandra Evers-Manly, vice president of corporate responsibility and president of Northrop Grumman’s Foundation in Los Angeles.

“They’re not going to see scientists and engineers on TV,” Evers-Manly added. “We want them to see them firsthand and be inspired.”