CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas -- Nov. 8, 2018 -- CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery celebrated National STEM Day on Nov. 8, 2018, with an interactive event where the STEM Teacher of the Year was also awarded at the CITGO Skyline Venue inside the Texas State Aquarium. Students and educators who integrate science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) into classrooms at area schools joined CITGO grant recipients from Del Mar College, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Texas A&M Kingsville, Garcia Elementary, Cunningham Middle School, Foy H. Moody High School, and West Oso ISD. Guests were encouraged to apply their STEM skills at interactive stations set up throughout the event. Activities included DNA extraction, virtual welding, Morse code translation, demonstrations by underwater and land robots, and much more. Gateway to Technology teacher Lori Bennett was recognized as the STEM Teacher of the Year. Ms. Bennett teaches STEM students at Cunningham Middle School.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Statistics 2016 Employment Report, employment in STEM occupations has grown 79 percent since 1990, from 9.7 million to 17.3 million in 2016, outpacing overall U.S. job growth. CITGO General Manager Community Relations, CSR and Legislative Affairs Larry Elizondo said this is one of the reasons CITGO engages students in STEM curriculum. “CITGO recognizes the importance of exposing students to STEM and helping them find what they are interested in, what they are good at and what they can make their life’s work,” Elizondo said. “Through these types of experiences, we hope to give them a jump-start on recognizing where they can fit into our local job force and local economy.”

“Giving our local students every advantage in advancing their education in the communities in which we live and work is extremely important to CITGO,” said Trina Martinez, vice president & general manager of the CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery. “Encouraging STEM education in our area schools is a win all the way around. CITGO hires locally, so we are strengthening our talent pool. For students, this kind of early preparation will help them enter the workforce better prepared to compete and succeed.”

CITGO launched the CITGO STEM Talent Pipeline program in 2016. This initiative partners with local schools to enhance and increase access to STEM in the classroom. The program promotes the importance of STEM education to the socioeconomic development of our communities and highlights the numerous pathways to rewarding careers, including those in the energy industry. It provides grants to schools and educational organizations to support programs that increase student interest, retention and graduation rates, and those that prepare students for STEM technical and university level curriculum. To date, the CITGO STEM Talent Pipeline has already benefited more than 35,000 students and educators across the CITGO operational footprint, strengthening the communities where the company has a presence.

About CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery

The CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery, which celebrated 80 years of operations in 2015, provides more than 1,000 jobs locally, while generating more than $345 million per year on average in support of the local economy through salaries, services and taxes. With a crude refining capacity of approximately 157,000 barrels-per-day (bpd) and a versatile product mix, which includes an average of 4.2 million gallons of gasoline, the CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery is one of the most sophisticated and efficient fuel and petrochemical refineries in the nation. In addition to producing high-quality fuels for a network of more than 300 independently owned and operated CITGO branded stations in the State of Texas and thousands more across the country, CITGO Corpus Christi refinery employees are dedicated to making a positive difference in their communities. CITGO Corpus Christi employees volunteer more than 2,500 hours on average annually to support causes and organizations including United Way, Charlie's Place, Muscular Dystrophy Association, The Miracle League, Catholic Charities, the Special Olympics, Hans and Pat Suter Park and Adopt-A-Beach Clean Up, among many others. For more information, visit www.citgocorpuschristi.com.

About CITGO

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, CITGO Petroleum Corporation is a recognized leader in the refining industry with a well-known brand. CITGO operates three refineries located in Corpus Christi, Texas; Lake Charles, La.; and Lemont, Ill., and wholly and/or jointly owns 48 terminals, nine pipelines and three lubricants blending and

packaging plants. With approximately 3,400 employees and a combined crude capacity of approximately 749,000 barrels-per-day (bpd), CITGO is ranked as the sixth-largest, and one of the most complex independent refiners in the United States. CITGO transports and markets transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products and supplies a network of approximately 5,200 locally owned and operated branded retail outlets in 30 states and the District of Columbia. CITGO Petroleum Corporation is owned by CITGO Holding, Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A., the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. For more information, visit www.citgo.com.