ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill., March 10, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) defense electronics facility in Rolling Meadows recently hosted a reception honoring the parents of 21 students participating in its WORTHY (Worthwhile To Help High School Youth) mentoring and scholarship program.
A photo accompanying this release is available at http://media.globenewswire.com/noc/
Designed to encourage and advance program participants' pursuits of technical degrees, the WORTHY program provides on-the-job experience and improved access to secondary education to area high school students.
Before an audience that included students, their families, WORTHY mentors, school officials and community leaders, Nelson Murphy, vice president of business management at Northrop Grumman's Defensive Systems Division, expressed the importance of the company's continued commitment to community involvement.
"This annual reception affords participants' parents the opportunity to become more familiar with the WORTHY program, and the chance to meet their child's mentors and members of the Northrop Grumman family who are helping to foster the continued success of their children," said Murphy. "No one succeeds in this world by themselves, and this is the perfect opportunity for us to commend parents for the crucial role they've played in raising such great kids."
"We are devoted to assisting the Chicagoland community's brightest students in their pursuit of a higher education in engineering and related fields through one-on-one mentoring opportunities such as the WORTHY program," said John Buckley, vice president of engineering, central region for Northrop Grumman. "As we continue down this path of lifelong learning together, I want to remind students to never stop trying and to always believe in themselves."
A total of 52 Northrop Grumman employees at the company's Rolling Meadows facility specializing in business, program management and various engineering disciplines have volunteered to serve as WORTHY program mentors. This year, the students, with the help of their mentors, will be working on individual projects, which will be presented at an event hosted by Northrop Grumman executive staff at the conclusion of the school year.
Initially launched in 1997 by Northrop Grumman in Baltimore, WORTHY is now being expanded to include additional locations. The Rolling Meadows facility aims to recruit five new students each year. In order to be eligible for the program, rising high school sophomores and juniors must attend a Northrop Grumman-partnered Chicago public high school or surrounding suburban school, maintain a 3.0+ grade point average (GPA) during the course of the program and have earned a 3.0+ GPA for at least two consecutive semesters prior to applying. Participants are also required to submit a three-part essay, provide a letter of recommendation from a high school counselor or community leader and be eligible to obtain a U.S. Department of Defense security clearance. Mentors must also apply for and pass a background check.
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global security company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide.
