STEM Connect

Project Theme: STEM inclusion and support

Target Audience and Location: STEM Academy students at Harrisonburg High School in Harrisonburg, VA.

Vision: An Academy where every STEM student thrives and belongs.

Mission: Reignite STEM academic confidence through peer mentorship & exposure to real-world STEM careers and applications.

Project Description: Scholar Anish Aradhey and educator Scholar Danae Delozier did a lot of great exploration before eventually landing on their topic focus. Anish is passionate about astrophysics but knew that he really needed to listen to his community to learn what their true needs were.

To do so, he turned to his networks to start exploring options and knew that as a member of his school’s STEM academy, there was an opportunity to partner with them to garner support for his eventual project. To join the academy, students apply in 8th grade and if accepted, are members for all four years of high school. In thinking about his own experience, talking to other students and research, this team identified that many STEM students (about a quarter of each incoming class) struggle with the transition from middle to high school and the academic rigor of STEM courses. He also noticed that during junior year, many students feel disconnected from the academy since they are not required to take specific courses. That’s when the idea for their project really began to take shape.

Their project is centered around pairing academy underclassmen and upperclassmen into partner groups and to host weekly after-school inclusive sessions that include study skills and leadership workshops as well as time for studying and tutoring support. Quarterly, participating students will take a field trip to a local STEM-related location such as a biotechnology company or a local researcher’s lab. The program will close with a final session including food and games celebrating the progress of students in the program.

Watch this team's project presentation at our virtual showcase event!