Earlier today, Representative Aaron Schock (R-IL), co-chair of the Congressional STEAM Caucus, addressed attendees at The Atlantic’s Full STEM Ahead event at The George Washington University.

The event featured speakers including representatives from The Atlantic, NASA, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Education, and others. Also in attendance, were student inventors and innovators who were named National Finalists of the 2014 Siemens Competition. Many of these students were also artists; specifically folk dancers, violists, drummers, pianists, saxophone players, hat painters, guitarists, and more.

When discussing Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education, Rep. Schock noted that the addition of the A for arts lends itself to improved outcomes in academic performance and decreases in student truancy and dropout rates.  He noted the importance of access to arts education at a young age, reflecting on his recent conversation with former President Bush and his newfound love for painting, noting that students shouldn’t wait until they are 60 like the former president.

Schock noted his support for STEM education even in higher education, but he specifically noted that “what makes a better employee is an education with an arts component.” While speaking to a STEM audience which may have been skeptical of his points, the representative stated, “You don’t have to take my word for it. This is what the industry says.”