Sewickley, PA, July 31, 2007— Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF) has named John P. Santos as the educator recipient of its 2007 Education Awards of Excellence. The awards are presented annually to an academic representative and an industry representative in recognition of outstanding contributions to education and training in the graphic arts.
Mr. Santos teaches graphic arts and is founder of the Imaging Sciences & Technology Academy (ISTA) at Manual Arts High School (Los Angeles, CA), where he has worked for nearly 15 years. He also lectures on a part-time basis at California State University, Los Angeles, in the College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology.
In 2001, he co-founded “Viva Technology,” a national program designed to motivate minority middle and high school students to consider careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This program has been presented at over 85 high schools and middle schools in 12 states. In addition, Mr. Santos serves as an educational advisor to three magazines—Technica, REGO, and Innerview.
His accolades are many, including Printing Industries Association of Southern California’s “Educator of the Year” award, “Outstanding Educator” recognition by the California State Senate, the University of California’s “List of California’s Outstanding Educators,” and the Hispanic Engineer National Achievements Awards Conference “Educator of the Year.”
Not only has Mr. Santos received numerous individual awards, but ISTA and its students have been recognized in a variety of ways. In 2004, the Academy was designated as the “Model Academy Program” by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and students excel in academic and technical competitions and awards programs. Since 2005, ninety percent of ISTA graduates advanced to college; as a result, Mr. Santos has more students studying graphic communications at four-year institutions than all other Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) graphic arts teachers combined.
Mr. Santos’s devotion to education is also reflected in his work establishing partnerships with Fortune 500 companies such as NASCAR, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and Boeing, which have resulted in the generation of hundreds of thousands of dollars in monetary donations, materials, and in-kind support and services for ISTA.
For more information about the Education Awards of Excellence or to learn how to submit a 2008 nomination, please contact Deena Hower at 800-910-4283, ext. 702 or [email protected].