How do we prepare our children for jobs that do not yet exist?

Our team is dedicated to providing programs to prepare the future STEMmer. We have two focal areas, the first being dedicated to bring hands-on project based STEM programming to 4-H clubs statewide by working with agents in 15 counties and the second, to accomplish our goals via grants, such as with our Agnese Nelms Haury challenge grant (watch video) as described under Our Programs. 


Despite billions spent on education, in general, it is accepted that our K-12 educational system is mediocre as a whole. Our educational system teaches subjects in isolation, but workers of tomorrow need to be comfortable with constant change and the ever-increasing complexity of multiple disciplines. They need excellent interpersonal skills and to be both creative and analytical to decipher what is significant and what is not in an environment overwhelmed with social media and emails, texts, and blogs. The result of our traditional educational system is disconnection of our students. Instead of being passive disconnected recipients of education, our children need to be active partners and have meaningful experiences that are relevant to today’s market and the jobs of the future.


A future STEMmer is a child that has substantial opportunities (hands-on inquiry and open-ended discovery) to engage in STEM projects focusing on real-world issues and problems, with rigorous math, science, and technology content, with an emphasis on being a creator of technology rather than simply being a consumer of technology. This future STEMmer has a voice, owns his or her work, learns the ability to reflect, works in a productive team, and figures out that failures are a way to test a hypothesis. Furthermore, this future STEMmer understands the importance of diversity and inclusiveness and how to be a global citizen in this changing world of digital transformation.