WEST CHESTER – Today, Representative Chrissy Houlahan and Senator Bob Casey visited West Chester University (WCU), the recipient of $716,000 in Fiscal Year 2023 Community Project Funding for the WCU “I Want to STEM!” initiative. The funding was obtained with their support and will guide students of color and students from low-income households through elementary school and up to a bachelor’s degree in STEM education. 

This investment will allow WCU to purchase equipment for student-led experiments and a bus to serve as a mobile STEM lab, and support research completed by students and their mentors. Houlahan and Casey spoke on the funding, were able to tour WCU’s Sciences & Engineering Center and the Commons, and saw a live demonstration by STEM students.

“As a former science educator and engineer, I know how crucial STEM education is for our students, especially those seeking careers in STEM fields,” said Houlahan. “I was thrilled to secure this funding alongside Senator Casey to ensure students from diverse backgrounds have the resources to expand their STEM education and skills. We know that workplaces in the 21^st century economy need a workforce adept in technological skills. The best way to secure that workforce is to provide access and opportunity to students and to provide tangible resources for educators to inspire an interest in STEM. ”

“Representative Houlahan and I secured this community project funding to support West Chester University’s work to close the opportunity gap for students here in Southeastern Pennsylvania,” said Casey. “When we give schools the resources they need to help students succeed at each step of their education, students learn they really can be anything they want to be when they grow up.”

Houlahan is an Air Force veteran, an engineer, a serial entrepreneur, an educator, and a nonprofit leader. She represents Pennsylvania’s 6th Congressional District, which encompasses Chester County and southern Berks County. She serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. She is the recipient of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Abraham Lincoln Leadership for America Award which “recognizes members who demonstrate the bipartisan leadership and constructive governing necessary to move our country forward” and the Congressional Management Foundation’s 2022 Democracy Award for best Constituent Services in Congress.

###