Tim Pylant Speaks to LG Middle School Students

Texas A&M Engineering Department board member Tim Pylant was invited to come to La Grange Middle School on Wednesday, Nov. 16 to speak to students about STEM careers.

Pylant, who is an electronics engineer with Cadence Design Systems, presented to the 8th grade Technology classes. After explaining that STEM stands for the concentrations of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, he spoke specifically about the many types of engineering jobs and the growing number of career opportunities within the field.

“I was happy to have the chance to talk with students about engineering and tell them about the future job prospects that are available to them in this growing field. The demand is high and is getting higher. We don’t have enough people qualified to fill all the positions and we need to recruit students that will pursue engineering in the future,” says Pylant. Kim Newton, 8th grade Technology Teacher at LMS, said that her students had just completed a unit in career exploration. “The students explored careers they were interested in and created a budget for their future lives based on one of their selected careers. Some of the students expressed interest in pursuing a career in engineering during this process. Mr. Pylant’s presentation allowed the students to understand the many types of engineers and see all the highpaying opportunities within this field” she stated.

Newton plans to have other successful professionals in various careers come to present to her classes throughout the year. Dr. Sarah Otto, the principal at LMS, is excited to give the students the opportunity to connect to the community whenever possible so that they can envision their part now and in the future. “I love to help students see how they can use their skills and interests to contribute to the community. Having various professionals come and speak about different careers gives the students the chance to learn about different possibilities for their future.”