At Panasonic’s Tech Talk during CES 2020, five-time Olympic gold medalist and 15-time World Champion swimmer Katie Ledecky along with Panasonic of North America announced the launch of her STEM education program, “Katie Ledecky’s Dive Into STEM Education powered by Panasonic.” The digital program delivered to schools is aimed at enabling and encouraging students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
“I am committed to using my platform to inspire and make a difference, and one way I believe I can make an impact is through access and exposure to STEM education,” Ledecky said. “I am thankful to my partner Panasonic, who supports this initiative and shares my vision of empowering the next generation of students to have opportunities in these important disciplines.”
“A technology company like Panasonic depends on skilled STEM talent to advance our sustainable solutions for the future of transportation, food retail, immersive entertainment and much more,” said Lauren Sallata, chief marketing officer, Panasonic Corporation of North America. “Supporting Katie Ledecky’s Dive Into STEM Education is a natural outgrowth of Panasonic’s longstanding contributions to tomorrow’s workforce by investing in education. We’re proud to partner with Katie to inspire the next generation of doers.”
Katie Ledecky’s Dive Into STEM Education powered by Panasonic will reach middle schools in five markets: the San Francisco Bay Area; Washington, D.C.; Newark, N.J.; Denver, Co.; and Reno, Nev. Ledecky and Panasonic have chosen education-technology company EVERFI to help deliver the program into schools.
Ledecky, a 22-year-old Stanford University student and Bethesda, MD native, is the current world-record holder in the women’s 400, 800 and 1500-meter freestyle events, and her combined 15 world championships and five Olympic gold medals are the most in history for a female swimmer. She made her international debut as the youngest American participant in any sport at the 2012 London Olympics when she was just 15-years-old, winning a gold medal in the 800-meter freestyle and breaking an American Record that had stood for more than two decades.
At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, Ledecky was the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Female Athlete of the Games, breaking two World Records and adding four more golds in the 200, 400 and 800-meter freestyle and 4×200-meter freestyle relay, as well as a silver in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay while still the youngest member of the U.S. swim team. Ledecky turned pro in 2018 after swimming collegiately at Stanford, where she won 8 NCAA titles in her two seasons and helped lead the Cardinal to back-to-back NCAA team championships. Ledecky has broken World Records 14 times and American Records 37 times in her career, while capturing 34 international medals overall for Team USA. She has been recognized a record five times as female World Swimmer of the Year and six times as female American Swimmer of the Year.
The Academic All-American of the Year in 2017-18 across all NCAA Division I sports, Katie Ledecky expects to contend in multiple events this summer at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
Panasonic has long invested in programs and institutions that support the development of students, youth and tomorrow’s workforce. For example, in Newark, NJ, home of Panasonic’s North American headquarters, high school students intern at the company during the school year, gaining real-world experience in the corporate environment while applying tech skills in support of business projects. Most recently, the Panasonic Foundation launched “Coding as a Second Language” computer coding academies in collaboration with the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, which introduces and teaches computer programming to Latino youth. The program makes pathways in tech accessible to underrepresented minorities and transforms communities by providing access to technology where there is otherwise little available.
— The above press release was posted by Swimming World in conjunction with Panasonic. For press releases and advertising inquiries please contact Advertising@SwimmingWorld.com.