{"id":3550,"date":"2021-03-29T16:08:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-29T16:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shpe.org\/?post_type=news-posts&p=3550"},"modified":"2022-08-01T16:09:56","modified_gmt":"2022-08-01T16:09:56","slug":"shpe-announces-all-new-annual-star-award-honoring-the-contributions-of-founder-rodrigo-garcia","status":"publish","type":"news-posts","link":"https:\/\/shpe.org\/news-posts\/shpe-announces-all-new-annual-star-award-honoring-the-contributions-of-founder-rodrigo-garcia\/","title":{"rendered":"SHPE Announces All-New Annual STAR Award Honoring the Contributions of Founder Rodrigo Garcia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

SHPE ANNOUNCES ALL-NEW ANNUAL STAR AWARD HONORING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF FOUNDER RODRIGO GARCIA<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Los Angeles, CA \u2013 SHPE has added a new award to the SHPE Technical Achievement and Recognition (STAR) Awards presented annually at the SHPE National Convention, the largest gathering of Hispanics in STEM in the U.S. The Rodrigo Garcia Founder\u2019s Award honors SHPE\u2019s founder, Rodrigo Garcia, who will be the first recipient at the convention in Orlando, Florida on November 10-14, 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rodrigo \u201cRod\u201d Garcia is a licensed Professional Engineer in California. He has over 40 years of experience as a civil engineering businessman. His firm has been involved in several high-profile projects in Los Angeles including various rail projects for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Prior to establishing his firm, he worked for the City of Los Angeles in Public Works, Building and Safety as well as the Port of Los Angeles. Currently, he is the President of Century Diversified, Inc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The story of SHPE\u2019s founding begins in 1973. Rod was working as a civil engineer for the City of Los Angeles. When Rod was at work\u2014even in the midst of a tech boom in California\u2014he was a brown face in a sea of white. Recognizing the disparity and wanting to make a change, Rod gathered a cohort of fellow Hispanic engineers who shared his concerns. They held a meeting in his garage to determine how they could contribute to diversifying the STEM field. Each of them had overcome barriers to break into the engineering world and, after finally earning their places, they were still experiencing discrimination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team leveraged their vast connections to build support. And in 1974, they officially formed the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), an organization that has grown into a nationwide professional association serving more than 13,000 members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watch Rod speak in this video clip about how SHPE has been changing lives:
\u201cWhat benefits the Hispanic community benefits the nation.\u201d<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of SHPE\u2019s members will tell you that Rod\u2019s vision has changed their life, affording them access and opportunities they would not have had otherwise. Over close to 50 years, Rod\u2019s limitless compassion and unwavering service to others has been critical to the success of SHPE. This award honors his accomplishments and memorializes him as the guiding light of the organization that is leading Hispanics in STEM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2022, the award will be open for nominations. Candidates must meet the following criteria for consideration:<\/p>\n\n\n\n