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PLU Receives $11,000 Grant for Tacoma/South Puget Sound MESA Program
PLU Receives $11,000 Grant for Tacoma/South Puget Sound MESA Program
By Veronica Craker
Marketing and Communications
Pacific Lutheran University has been awarded another grant from School’s Out Washington and the Washington State Department of Commerce to be used toward the Tacoma/South Puget Sound MESA program.
The $11,000 grant comes from the Washington Youth Development Nonprofit Relief Fund. The MESA program prioritizes early exposure to STEM topics and hands-on STEM activities for those underrepresented such as African American, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, Pacific Islander, and female students.
“Because of these funds, we are able to provide more support to our program and launch activities that help students be more connected to STEM,” said Penda Samba, director of Tacoma/Puget Sound MESA at PLU. “As an example, this summer we launched an internship program with Columbia Bank IT department and our interns —high school seniors —were equipped with stipend and resources.”
Previously, PLU was awarded $14,000 in December 2020 and $40,000 in May 2021 for the program. The grant will go toward the 2021 summer program.
The Washington Youth Development Nonprofit Relief Fund was created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that forced schools to move to remote learning. School’s Out Washington and the Washington State Department of Commerce allocated $9.4 million to support schools. Of the 612 eligible applicants submitted, 421 were approved funding —including PLU.
