STATEWIDE OFFICE
For Immediate Release
May 14, 2015
Danielle McNamara
danielle.mcnamara@ucop.edu
Santa Ana Teacher Wins Statewide
Dedication Award
Tom Glenn, a teacher at Saddleback High School in Santa Ana received a dedication award for
his years of service to a statewide math and science program.
Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) honored Glenn for his outstanding
work in assisting educationally disadvantaged students to excel in math and science for 25
years.
The MESA program at Saddleback is coordinated by the MESA Schools Program the University
of California Irvine to support educationally disadvantaged students prepare for college in
math-based majors. Saddleback is in the Santa Ana Unified Schools District; eighty-eight
percent of Saddleback students received free or reduced lunch.
“Over the years his students have gone to UCLA, USC, UC San Diego and even Harvard. That’s
impressive in itself,” said former Chapman/UC Irvine MESA director Vonna Hammerschmitt.
“But, the most impressive thing is how they all come back to visit and talk about their
experiences in high school and how MESA and Mr. Glenn helped them learn to study and
succeed beyond Saddleback High School.”
MESA is one of the largest programs in California to support educationally disadvantaged
students so they can graduate from college with science, technology, engineering, and math
(STEM) degrees. MESA provides academic support and enrichment to more than 18,000 K-12
students and more than 7,800 community college and 4-year college students each year.
Most MESA students are economically disadvantaged, the first in their families to attend
college and attend underperforming schools.
For more information about Glenn contact UCI MESA Director Marvin Maldonado at
mjmaldon@uci.edu . For more information about MESA, visit mesa.ucop.edu or on Twitter
@MESASTEM.
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University of California • 300 Lakeside Drive, 7th Floor • Oakland, CA 94612-3550 • PHONE: 510.987.9337 • FAX: 510.763.4704 • WEB: mesa.ucop.edu