Jarod Grey, a senior at the Stanley M. Foster School of Engineering, Innovation and Design made the following speech at the ceremony.
"Pauline M. Foster, who was born in San Diego in 1934, was a prominent philanthropist and community member who passed away in 2016. In her lifetime, she donated millions of dollars to a variety of local institutions, including The Stanley E. Foster School of Engineering, Innovation and Design. Her generous monetary endowment began in 2001 and continues today through ongoing financial support overseen by her family. Over almost two decades, Mrs. Foster has touched the lives of thousands of Kearny High students by providing state-of-art engineering supplies, tools and machinery, as well as the development of industry partnerships and an advisory board. Without these contributions, the well-renowned EID program at Kearny with its fully articulated engineering pathway with SDSU, extracurricular robotics program and college and career training would struggle to exist. In my own experience, I came to Kearny EID with very little knowledge of engineering. Through connections with professionals from the San Diego community, hands-on learning with state-of-the-art equipment, and other experiences supported through the generosity of Mrs. Foster, I am now about to graduate with a knowledge of engineering and a passion to pursue it as a career once I completed my degree from San Diego State University. I will always be grateful to Pauline M. Foster and the Foster family for their generosity."
