The official biography below was current at the time of the award.
See the organization's
website
for its latest information.
The Center for the Innovative Training of Youth (CITY) d/b/a STEM NOLA is a national leader in the design and delivery of STEM-based activities, programs, and events to K-12 students, families, and communities. STEM NOLA’s mission is to grow future innovators, creators, and entrepreneurs through inspiration, engagement, and exposure to opportunities in the STEM fields. Since 2014, STEM NOLA has delivered high-quality culturally, environmentally, and developmentally appropriate STEM programs to more than 100,000 children, 20,000 families, and 5,150 schools across 47 states and five countries. Hundreds of early-grade educators have benefited from our customized curriculum and professional development.
STEM NOLA was founded to combat the fact that students of color from under-resourced communities do not have access to high-quality STEM education opportunities within the K-12 system and lack access to STEM mentorship opportunities. This leads to a dramatic representation gap within STEM-related fields. STEM NOLA believes that, along with high-quality, engaging, and innovative educational programming, mentoring services that allow students of color to see themselves as STEM professionals is key to increasing Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) representation and success in STEM and STEM careers.
STEM NOLA offers high-quality out-of-school-time programs that engage students in hands-on, project-based STEM learning, from grades K-12. A 2021 evaluation of STEM NOLA’s programs showed that 100% of participants improved academically, 96% improved in behavior, and 100% improved socially.