Northrop Grumman Sees Value in Education A global defense and technology company, Northrop Grumman has supported the ESEF for more than 10 years. Ginger Recanzone, Community Relations representative for Northrop, serves as a member of the ESEF Board of Directors. "Education is critical to Northrop Grumman," says Recanzone. "Our company is growing and always looking to hire people who are creative, motivated, innovative, and college educated. They need to be interested in learning because there's always something new to learn in a company like ours," she explains. "We support the ESEF because there's a need. Compared to other school districts in this area, El Segundo has a pretty small population and the schools rely on Foundation support to provide all the 'extras.' However, I don't see them as 'extras,' they are necessities," says Recanzone.  One of those 'extras' is the high school's Robotics program. "Companies like Northrop see great value in efforts like the Robotics program," she explains. "Fifty-percent of our community giving budget is designated to support science, technology, and mathematics; and robotics definitely falls under that. It's extremely valuable for the students. In addition to learning how to work on a team, they learn that engineering is more than sitting behind a computer analyzing things," she says. "Participating in the Robotics program, a student at the high school can learn the important role that robots play in modern society," explains Recanzone. Robots are involved in manufacturing cars, for example; or in Northrop's case, building F-18 fighter jets. They can be used medically to assist with high precision surgeries or in the exploration of dangerous or hard to reach places like volcanoes, outer space, or underwater. "Engineering is critical. There are so many things that robotics enters into in the world. Northrop Grumman is 100% behind the program at the high school," says Recanzone. She also explains that the Robotics program is a complement to Northrop's nationwide High School Involvement Partnership (HIP) Program through which the company provides non-paying internships for seniors during school hours. Students apply for the program in place of two classes in their traditional school schedule. They work two hours a day, directly with a Northrop mentor. "They get on-the-job training and learn what it's like to work for a major corporation. The mentors help them figure out what types of classes to take in college, and once they're here they find out that there are 20-25 different types of engineering," explains Recanzone. A handful of ESHS students participate every year, and two years ago, an El Segundo High School student was selected from a pool of HIP students across the nation to receive a $1500 scholarship. The ESEF is grateful to Northrop Grumman, and to all our Corporate Partners, who play their part in making our community and our schools stronger. Thank you Northrop! About Northrop Grumman Northrop Grumman Corporation is a global defense and technology company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide. About the Foundation The El Segundo Educational Foundation represents a partnership of businesses, individuals, and families organized to support and enhance programs of the El Segundo Unified School District and to foster excellence in education.