Two Clubhouse members in Tustin, CA were recently recognized by the City of Tustin for their participation in The Clubhouse Network’s biennial Teen Summit. Teen Summit is Youth Leadership event that brings Clubhouse youth together from each of the 100 Clubhouses internationally. Youth leaders explore issues relevant to them and propose solutions through the creative use of innovative, high-end technologies.
The Clubhouse in Tustin is hosted at Listo America, an organization founded on the premise that youth from a diverse background, including underserved communities and underrepresented STEM minority groups such as Latinos/Latinas, can be a significant source of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) future employees in our country’s 21st-century workforce. “Listo” is a Spanish word which means “ready, prepared” and is also an acronym for Latino Infusion into Science and Technology opportunities.
Clubhouse members Karla Camacho and Metztli Mora were honored by Tustin Mayor Al Murray. Guillermo “Bill” Izabal, Founder and President of Listo America, spoke at the event. “When I retired from the Boeing Company as an executive, I decided that the first thing I’m going to do is deal with the big issue that we have in high tech: not enough engineers and scientists in this country.” He described the number of jobs and the lack of talent. “Our goal is we’re going to make scientists and engineers of our untapped community.”
Izabal went on to describe how he felt about the Clubhouse members and this honor. “There’s a Spanish word orgullo which means pride, and we’re very proud of Karla and very proud of Metztli. They are exceptional members and reflective of what we’re trying to do.”