In music, everyone knows that good things come in pairs - Hall and Oates, Simon and Garfunkel, Sonny and Cher. Less obvious, however, are the pairs that drive success for students - hands-on learning and more time, Citizen Teachers and Teaching Fellows and, one of our favorites, technology companies and middle schools.

At Citizen Schools, the latter pairing enables us to deliver high-quality, experiential STEM learning opportunities to underserved students across the country, and EMC has been at the forefront of that effort since 2008. In that time, EMC has...

• Taught 25 apprenticeships, on topics from electrical engineering to web design

• Engaged 87 employee volunteers, impacting nearly 375 students

• Fostered a connection between Citizen Schools and the San Jose Tech Museum, which resulted in our students first-ever participation in the competitive Tech Challenge program

• Led numerous one-time explorations to their offices to share their STEM work and to encourage students to pursue STEM studies and careers

• Provided crucial financial support to our programs in CA, MA and NC, including sponsorship of and attendance at our 6 Degrees networking events

One Citizen Schools alumnus, MacCalvin Romain, even went on to a successful career at EMC! Check out his story:

http://youtu.be/79NfI7TTm7w

In honor of National Volunteer Appreciation Week and the hard work and dedication of EMC’s employee volunteers, Citizen Schools is pleased to recognize EMC. We've seen the incredible impact on students when technology companies like EMC partner with middle schools. The best things really do come in pairs!