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Hazelwood Alum Writes Book to Inspire Young Students
Though his professional calling is electrical engineering, Hazelwood School District alumnus Quinn Woodard has two other passions: writing and mentoring students.
Woodard has visited Armstrong, Arrowpoint, and Jury Elementary School in recent weeks to share his book, Like Me, with first grade students.
The book talks about different science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers that students can explore, and introduces them to several African American pioneers in STEM.
Woodard, currently an engineer for Chevron, is an advocate for Project Lead the Way, a non-profit organization that provides STEM curriculum for schools across the country, including all HSD schools.
His goal is to build on what students learn in the classroom.
“Although we have great programs, there still are other opportunities to get students interested in STEM fields,” he said.
That drive inspired him to write Like Me to introduce minority students to STEM options at a young age.
Woodard read to one class at each school and provided all students in those classrooms with a copy of his book.
He attended Jury Elementary and Kirby Middle School before graduating from Hazelwood East High School in 2007.
Woodard earned a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Tulsa and later earned an MBA from Indiana University.