Making a Way for the Future of STEM: The Woman Leading Panasonic’s Pursuit of Enriching People’s Lives
“We need your leadership and bold ideas. Believe in the power of your dreams.”
- Alejandra Ceja, Vice President in the Office of Social Impact and Inclusion at Panasonic Corporation of North America, and Executive Director of the Panasonic Foundation
A first-generation Mexican-American and accomplished leader in education, policy and technology, Alejandra Ceja is creating paths for young people to pursue their dreams and positively impact the world.
As Vice President for the Office of Social Impact and Inclusion at Panasonic Corporation of North America, and Executive Director of the Panasonic Foundation, Ceja uses her role to conduct Panasonic’s foundational business principles to create a better world. Panasonic was built on the belief that technology could change people’s lives.
Ensuring the equity of such transformation and the access to be a part of it are goals she = has worked on throughout her career, especially focusing on providing opportunities to our nation’s most underrepresented populations.
“We need more young women of color, more young women in general, to be exposed to STEM education, STEM careers, and STEM awareness. The demographics of this country are changing. And the leadership of the young women and young people of color - that we have seen through STEM Next and the Million Girls Moonshot is a bright spot in our country that gives us all hope,” says Ceja.
Industries fueled by science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), are the fastest-growing and highest-paying business sectors, yet there continue to be large racial and gender disparities in the workforce. Ceja believes giving young people role models to inspire them and clear pathways to get engaged in STEM learning is the best way to close those gaps.
“We aim to ensure that more young women envision themselves thriving in STEM and receive exposure to workforce opportunities and leadership access. We need to continue to invest in our young women and ensure the doors of access and opportunity remain wide open for them. STEM represents the future, and our goal is to expand access to these opportunities for students and communities of color.”
How We Get There
Afterschool and summer programs have been shown to increase students’ career interest in STEM, giving them access to the types of hands-on learning that excites and engages them. Panasonic, a vital partner to STEM Next’s mission to make out-of-school STEM opportunities a reality for millions of young people, supports STEM Next’s premier initiative - the Million Girls Moonshot - to engage millions more girls and underserved young people in these high-impact STEM opportunities outside of the classroom.
“Afterschool programs lend themselves to unleashing a deeper sense of curiosity and creativity that may not always be fully realized within the traditional school curriculum. They provide an enriched level of exposure and community engagement. Afterschool programs are, invaluable and I believe we should persist in our efforts to ensure that they reach more students.”
Progress toward the goal, however, cannot be done alone. Ceja and her colleagues at Panasonic hold the power of collective impact in high regard to yield the biggest results for our shared future. Ceja stresses the urgency of progress.
“Collective impact is an opportunity for us to unite and build community towards making meaningful investments that we know are going to have a lasting impact on the future of this country for generations to come,” says Ceja.
“Collaborating alongside other funders, nonprofit organizations, and community stakeholders is going to make a difference to ensure that the next generation of leaders and the talent, that we are all vying for, is well-equipped to thrive in a globally competitive economy.”
Ceja believes in the power of young people to push for the innovation and solutions our world needs most. She understands the importance of equitable access for ALL students to ensure we have the brightest minds, with the most diverse perspectives, working on creative new ways to live better.
“For young people looking to work in STEM - go for it. We need you in this industry. We need your contributions across all STEM sectors. YOU are the future of the workforce.”
Alejandra Ceja is the Vice President in the Office of Social Impact and Inclusion at Panasonic Corporation of North America, and the Executive Director of the Panasonic Foundation. Ceja is responsible for implementing Panasonic’s basic business principles and their contribution to society, which entails investing in education, investing in the future workforce, and building community throughout the country.
Through the Million Girls Moonshot, Panasonic is increasing diversity, inclusion, and equity by improving STEM program access, a critical factor in helping more girls reach their fullest potential and expand their career horizons.
