WINDSOR, Conn., Oct. 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA), formerly ING U.S., announced today that Mary Clark, a teacher at Eric Solorio Academy High School in Chicago, Illinois, has received the first-place prize in the company's national 2014 Voya Unsung Heroes awards competition.
As the first-place winner, selected from over 1,000 applications, Clark will receive $25,000 to add to her initial $2,000 grant, bringing her total to $27,000 to help fund Biotech Learning and Earning, the award-winning program she is implementing at Eric Solorio Academy High School.
"We are thrilled to celebrate this well-deserved award with Mary," said Victor Iturralde, principal at Eric Solorio Academy High School. "She is a consummate educator who has a contagious enthusiasm for and passion about teaching that is equaled by her willingness to unceasingly search for ways to help her students succeed."
Biotech Learning and Earning is designed to expose the school's underserved population of high school students to a state-of-the-art advanced science course that will improve their knowledge about, skills for, and application in biotechnology. Using the classroom laboratories and leveraging the school's partnership at a local university and hospital, students engage in advanced biotech activities, including performing DNA extractions and practicing techniques working alongside research scientists. These laboratory experiences enhance students' opportunities for scholarships and work-study programs to help offset college tuition while providing real-world experience and insight into career opportunities. Students also become knowledgeable and practiced consumers of scientific research and experience how biotechnology can benefit them personally, their families, and the community at large.
The $27,000 grant will allow Clark to purchase additional equipment to enhance the program, including micropipettes and stands, and electrophoresis reagents.
"Voya Financial is honored to salute these outstanding teachers who have the vision to pioneer new methods and techniques in the classroom that inspire learning," said Carolyn Johnson, president of Tax-Exempt Markets for Retirement Solutions at Voya Financial. "Each day, we help individuals prepare for a secure financial future and we are proud to recognize these men and women who prepare students for their future. We understand teaching is one of the most important professions in the world and are pleased to help Mary continue making a life-long, positive impact on the children she teaches."