Honeywell has awarded scholarships to 254 students from 30 countries and 30 U.S. states and territories to attend the Honeywell Leadership Challenge Academy (HLCA).

Two local high school students were awarded scholarships to do intensive astronaut training, including Kirkland resident Jillian English, a Puget Sound Adventist Academy student, and Woodinville resident Andrew Leever, Woodinville High School.

This unique, week-long leadership and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) program ran twice from Feb. 26 to March 9 at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala.

HLCA provides children of Honeywell employees with the opportunity to develop their leadership skills through technology- and science-oriented workshops, lectures, and team exercises that include simulated astronaut training that brings these studies to life. Developed in partnership with the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, the program is designed to encourage high school students to pursue STEM-related careers.

During the course of the program, students meet with scientists, engineers, and former astronauts to reinforce core leadership competencies and provide them with first-hand professional experiences. Students engage in interactive challenges such as designing, building, and testing their own rockets, bridge structures, and DNA extraction experiments.

For the first time this year, students also engaged in an online social media community led by graduates of the academy before, during, and after the program.

“We are thrilled to be sending another remarkable class of students to the Honeywell Leadership Challenge Academy,” said Tom Buckmaster, president, Honeywell Hometown Solutions. “The program is designed to help develop a new generation of leaders, engineers, and scientists by honing their skills in purposeful leadership, effective communication, integrated planning, team trust and cohesion, and critical thinking. The dedication and creativity of the parents of these exceptional students helps Honeywell innovate and manufacture technologies to address tough challenges linked to global macro trends such as safety, security, energy efficiency, energy generation, and globalization.”

Since 2010, Honeywell and the U.S. Space & Rocket Center have awarded more than 630 scholarships to students after rigorous application and review processes based on their academic achievement and community involvement.

All junior and senior level high school children of full-time Honeywell employees are eligible to apply. Financial contributions from Honeywell employees help fund the scholarships, which include tuition for the week-long program, meals, accommodations, and program materials.

“Honeywell is a proven leader when it comes to promoting educational programs for children around the world,” said Dr. Deborah Barnhart, executive director and CEO of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. “The Honeywell Leadership Challenge Academy is another example of corporate commitment to prepare the next generation of engineers, scientists, and explorers. The U.S. Space & Rocket Center is proud to work with Honeywell on this project and we are honored to teach and share with the young people entrusted to us.”

For more information on the program, visit leadership.honeywell.com/.