By HEATHER WALTERS
Officials with the University of South Carolina Salkehatchie in Walterboro announced on Monday that a Colleton native has been named program manager for the school’s STEM initiatives, which focuses on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
Holly Hughes McCrary is the school’s new STEM program manager. The school’s STEM initiative is part of a 5-year, $650,000 grant funded by the Department of Energy and National Nuclear Science Administration through the nearby Savannah River Site. The grant supports STEM programming for k-12 students in the USC Salk footprint, including Colleton County. It offers these students STEM scholarships, internship opportunities and summer STEM research options. As a part of her duties as the STEM program manager, McCrary will manage USC Salk’s efforts in all of these parts of the grant.
She will also implement an annual aviation camp and provide support to regional STEM educators.
“USC Salkehatchie is cognizant that many students in our region are not aware of the opportunities for STEM careers in our area nor of the educational requirements necessary to obtain these jobs. Through USC Salkehatchie STEM initiatives, we hope to create a talent pipeline for these opportunities by engaging our K-12 students in STEM education relevant to regional workforce needs,” said Chris Nesmith, dean of USC Salk.
“We are excited that Holly will lead our STEM related programming,” he said, in a press release.
McCrary said she is ready for the challenge that her new role brings.
“I am beyond excited to begin this new adventure,” she said. McCrary attended USC Salk, where she earned an associate’s degree. She then transferred to USC Beaufort, where earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She now has her Master of Education in Instruction and Curriculum from USC, which she earned with Summa Cum Laude honors.
“For over a decade, I have been fortunate to pursue my passion in STEM by working in a wide variety of roles in public education and science. Now, I have the opportunity to help foster my love of STEM in a much more focused role at USC Salkehatchie,” McCrary said.
“The future of our region depends on educating students to be successful in STEM fields. Our students have limitless potential. We must invest in them if we want our region to become more competitive with surrounding areas.”
In addition to her degrees, McCrary also holds National Board Certification in Secondary Science, as well as certifications in AP Biology from College Board and Problem Based Learning from New Tech National Network. She has previously been recognized on state and national levels for her methods and scores in her biology end-of-course assessments, and she was the 2020 Hampton District 1 Teacher of the Year, according to information provided by USC Salk.
“We are going to do great things with the Salkehatchie STEM Initiative,” said McCrary. “Facilitating strong relationships with students, scaffolding links between programs and community members, and further enhancing a STEM program that is student-centered helps everyone win.
“We have an amazing opportunity with this program. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for USC Salkehatchie and the students in our region,” McCrary said.
