Navy Flag officers, civilians, and Senior Executive Service (SES) members were honored at the 30th Annual Black Engineer of the Year Award (BEYA) Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Global Competitiveness Conference Awards in Philadelphia, Feb. 19-20.

The multi-day BEYA conference attracted thousands of STEM professionals and also served as a learning tool for students interested in pursuing professional interests in engineering.

The goal of BEYA is to promote excellence in STEM. The 2016 program featured many events, including the Veterans Transition Initiative, CEO Roundtable, professional seminars and a STEM career fair. STEM students in high school, undergraduate and graduate collegiate tracks will attended, in addition to interns, professionals, and executives.

Chief of Naval Personnel, Vice Adm. Bill Moran presented the Stars and Stripes Navy honoree award to FLTCM April Beldo at the award dinner, Feb. 19. Each of the Stars and Stripes awards recognizes the significant accomplishments of African-Americans in government and industry who have achieved exceptional career gains in the fields of STEM.

"It is about getting the future of our Navy interested at a young age, because if we show them that the Navy has the resources to help them pursue a STEM career it will not only help the Navy, but it will ignite a passion in that person," said Beldo.

In addition to the multiple award events, BEYA also hosted several mentoring workshops dedicated to matching more than 250 STEM students and Midshipmen with military and civilian leaders.

"It's a great chance for me to learn from those who have already succeded in their jobs, and to help set me up on the right path for my education," said Alicia Davis, a local student who was attending the conference.

Davis who has a goal of becoming a CEO upon graduation, said BEYA was a great opportunity to meet prospective leaders in her future career field.

The various workshops included more than 40 Navy flag officers and SES officials who participated in small roundtable discussions with students, about topics including leadership, career opportunities, and networking