Feb 7, 2024   SOURCE: BusinessWire

Fifty-One Youth Leaders Selected to Represent All 50 States as STEM Learning Ambassadors

STEM Next Opportunity Fund’s Million Girls Moonshot initiative announced its third cohort of the Flight Crew - a youth ambassador program that is advancing equity for girls in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

The Flight Crew elevates youth voices to inspire more young people to become future STEM leaders. The group embodies the spirit of the Million Girls Moonshot, a STEM equity initiative to engage millions more girls in afterschool and summer STEM learning opportunities by 2025.

“The Flight Crew has been instrumental to advancing equity in STEM for all youth at the state and national levels,” said Teresa Drew, deputy director of STEM Next and director of the Million Girls Moonshot. “We have seen thousands of young people inspired to build their confidence and skills with STEM, thanks to the youth voices of the Flight Crew leaders. These ambassadors have also made a compelling impact on policymakers and other leaders to consider the significant role of afterschool STEM learning in removing barriers to learning for millions of youth across the country.”

The 2024 Flight Crew cohort includes 51 youth, ages 13-18, from all 50 states. These diverse youth were selected to share their influential STEM experiences in afterschool and summer programs that have helped them solve challenges in their communities, as well as transform their own understanding of what is possible. The Flight Crew will share their testimonies to encourage other youth to get involved, break down stereotypes and stay curious about STEM.

Having participated in stimulating, hands-on STEM experiences in afterschool and summer programs, members of the Flight Crew were selected to share their transformational testimonies to break down stereotypes and spark their peers' curiosity in STEM. These young leaders demonstrate the power of the Moonshot mission to reimagine who can build, invent and engineer by sharing their personal journeys with high-quality STEM beyond the classroom and by becoming role models who show other young women what is possible. Learn more about the 2024 Flight Crew members here.

From February to September, the Flight Crew will participate in leadership development and public speaking training while simultaneously acting as public champions for afterschool STEM. Skill building will include resume and interview coaching, connections with mentors and social media training to expand the youth’s critical social capital for future STEM success.

"You should remember that your journey is uniquely yours, and there’s no ‘right’ way to pursue STEM,” said Raina, an 8th-grade student from Jackson, Mississippi, and 2024 Flight Crew member. Raina encourages other young people to, “Define success on your terms and celebrate your achievements, no matter how small they may seem.”

“Amplifying youth voice is an important part of the Afterschool Alliance’s work; we are thrilled to partner with STEM Next and its Million Girls Moonshot initiative again,” said Leah Silverberg, project manager with the Afterschool Alliance. “Adults and millions of young people across the United States have so much to learn from the Flight Crew about building confidence in STEM spaces where they might not have felt they traditionally belonged. It is an important effort in showing youth possible STEM pathways for their futures.”

Launched in 2020, the Million Girls Moonshot builds the capacity of the afterschool and summer fields to expand the pipeline of future STEM leaders by reimagining who can engineer, who can build and who can make. To reach millions of girls by 2025, the Moonshot partners with the robust 50 State Afterschool Network to empower and support afterschool and summer STEM programs in every state across the country.

About STEM Next Opportunity Fund

As a national leader, strategic guide, policy advocate and investor, STEM Next is making out-of-school STEM opportunities a reality for millions of young people to help them thrive in STEM and beyond. In September 2020, STEM Next launched The Million Girls Moonshot, which inspires and prepares the next generation of innovators by engaging millions more girls in STEM learning opportunities through afterschool and summer programs over 5 years. By investing early in the lives of our children, STEM Next is transforming their lives and preparing them for the 21st century economy. Learn more at STEMNext.org. Connect with STEM Next on Twitter and LinkedIn. Learn more about the Million Girls Moonshot at milliongirlsmoonshot.org and connect on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.