Summer program provides scholarships and networking for young women interested in STEM careers

With the end of the school year in sight, ComEd is excited for the return of the ComEd EV Rally, its signature summer program to support more women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Young women in Illinois can apply to participate in the annual competition, which challenges teens to build and race high-tech, electric-powered go-carts. ComEd has expanded this year's pool of program participants by 50 percent, giving 45 students the chance to work with female mentors from ComEd to explore career pathways in STEM.

Participants will learn from ComEd mentors and peers apply their STEM knowledge while building an electric vehicle (EV). The program will culminate with a once-in-a-lifetime experience as participants race their vehicles at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago on Saturday, July 29. Every participant will receive a $2,000 scholarship upon completion of the program.

"This program is a fun way to educate and empower young women to explore STEM careers and start their journey to becoming future leaders," said Michelle Blaise, senior vice president of technical services at ComEd and the company's chief engineer. "ComEd is committed to increasing the representation of women and people of color in the STEM fields, because our future success and ability to solve our biggest challenges depends on a diverse workforce that drives innovation."

Educating the next generation on the value of zero-emissions vehicles and clean energy solutions is needed in the transition to a cleaner energy future. ComEd believes the next generation of the STEM workforce must be a more diverse one. Participants in the EV Rally come from diverse cultural and geographic backgrounds, with an emphasis on those from equity investment eligible communities—or EIECs, as defined by the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act in Illinois. Today, women make up 50 percent of the workforce, yet hold only 27 percent of jobs in STEM fields in Illinois, according to a study by the Illinois Science & Technology Coalition. The same study found that the share of women in Illinois in STEM jobs has grown by less than 1 percent since 2012.

The application is open until Thursday, June 1, to any female-identifying Illinois resident between the ages of 13 and 18. Applications are available at ComEdEVRally.com.

Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NASDAQ:EXC), the nation's leading competitive energy provider, with approximately 10 million customers. ComEd provides service to approximately 4 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state's population. For more information visit ComEd.com, and connect with the company on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

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