Member Spotlight: Horizon Science Academy

Member Spotlight by Ugur Zengince, Principal

Provide us with a brief summary of your business’ services.
Horizon Science Academy (HSA) is a public charter school serving 540 high school students. HSA is a “Blue Ribbon” school awarded by the US Department of Education. HSA is an innovative school model that merges Career Technical Education and STEM education with Engineering, Health Science, and Computer Science pathways. Our school was designated as a “Quality Charter School” by the Ohio Department of Education for the 19-20 school year. HSA is recognized as a successful school option by our families who are looking for a more challenging school model for their students. The school’s college acceptance rate and the graduation rate are historically close to 100%.

Tell us about your company’s mission and values.
Mission: We prepare students to succeed in college and the world by offering high-quality, college-prep, STEM education.

Core Values:
HSA Columbus High promotes six core values to guide its interactions with all members of the school community:
-Respect – All members of the school community (students, parents, and staff) have equal worth and should be treated with respect.
-Responsibility – All people have choices, and teachers, parents, and students should be responsible for their actions.
-Integrity – Belonging to a community requires a commitment to the common good. The community is stronger when everyone can be counted upon to be honest and trustworthy.
-Courage – Having the courage to try new things expands minds and causes students, parents, and staff to reach beyond their own expectations.
-Curiosity – The ability to wonder and to create connections stimulates further learning. Inquiry will be fostered on the part of parents, staff, and students.
-Effort – Success is accomplished when students, family, and staff are willing to do what it takes to accomplish their vision of the future.

What are the services you use the most (or are looking forward to using) from the Columbus Chamber?
Member-to-Member Access and Networking
Promote Open House Events to Columbus Businesses
Member Spotlight Feature
Member Directory Category Listings
Specialized Consultation Services: Connecting w/ educational partners
Finding internship/job shadowing opportunities for our students

How do you stay engaged with trends that you see in your industry?
Our staff participates in professional development opportunities year-round from a variety of providers to make sure that we are up-to-date with industry advancements, trends, and needs. As we expand the portfolio of services our school offers, we make more connections to industry professionals who provide advice and guidance on shaping our programs to meet the needs of these trends to ensure that the quality of services that we provide does not waiver, but is at the forefront of these trends. Through our tuition reimbursement programs, we encourage and promote our employees to embody continued education through post-secondary coursework, certifications, train-the-trainer credentials, etc. to approach innovation from all fronts.

Please describe your company culture.
Our company culture is centered on service to others. As a community school, we are dedicated to hiring and retaining quality employees who are service-minded professionals that place the needs of our students and other stakeholders at the center of all they do.

What defines a successful employee at your company?
Employees at HSA need to be innovative, collaborative, and have an investment in the quality of educational services that we provide to our students, their families, and our community. We deal with a diverse student population with diverse educational needs, so we need to work as a team to collect information, make data-informed decisions, and continually engage in a cycle of performance reflection to make sure that we are providing the best quality services to our stakeholders. With trends and demands of education that are continually changing, we need to be innovative and adapt our program to the needs of the students, while still making sure we are complying with industry standards and requirements.

What makes Columbus such a great place to do business?
Columbus is a great community that represents myriad cultures and industries. We are at the crossroads of medical, educational, innovative business leaders in the Ohio community, many of whom are national leaders in their own rights. Columbus works to promote itself and its citizens so that we are a beacon of innovation and collaboration for industry professionals who want to contribute to their fields and to the city that is our home.

Social Media
Twitter: @HSAColumbusHS
Facebook: @HSAColumbusHigh
Instagram: @horizoncolumbushs
Website: hs.horizoncolumbus.org