December 2021

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

The year began with DreamSTEM.

Two years ago, NeoSTEM’s thought leaders and partners gave us a mandate – to increase the visibility and accessibility of STEM professions in northeast Ohio’s underserved students, in particular, Black and Brown students.

And through a series of planning sessions and countless informal discussions, we developed a plan in 2021 to address that mandate.

We heard your call, and we’re answering.

This year, under the DreamSTEM umbrella, we launched a teacher externship program to connect educators to the real-world applications of the STEM. We launched the “I am STEM” campaign to introduce students to the many faces of STEM professions. And, in partnership with MyCom Cleveland, we are developing a community-based program to bring after-school and weekend STEM education opportunities to students and families at the neighborhood level.

As 2021 draws to a close, we held our final Ecosystem meeting, one more opportunity to discuss these accomplishments, and to begin thinking about the challenges to come.

• The DreamSTEM externship program connected four area educators with three STEM industry leaders – the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, Synthomer, and InvaCare – to help them better understand the many career applications of the STEM lessons they teach in their classrooms. The program will serve as a model, and as a launching pad for future cohorts.
• Through the “I am STEM” campaign, we interviewed numerous STEM professionals across the education and industry sectors, to expose students to the almost career opportunities STEM can offer. We’re thrilled to report that the Cleveland Metropolitan School District has asked us to display those posters in every school in the district.
• Our planning for the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 2022 STEM Day is rolling along, and we’re pleased to report that we’ve raised more than $70,000 to support the event, which promises to introduce students and families to the many intersections of STEM and sport, and the many STEM career opportunities available through sport.

Looking ahead to 2022, our work with MyCom Cleveland is moving ahead, with plans to bring after-school and weekend STEM education opportunities to individual communities throughout the Cleveland-metro area.

For the NeoSTEM community, 2021 was a year full of promise, potential, and action.

We can’t wait to see what 2022 has in store.

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Get Involved!

NeoSTEM’s successes are driven by the tireless dedication of those within our community. We can’t do it without you, and we welcome new faces in all of our work.

• To participate in the Cavs’ 2022 STEM Day, please complete our partnership application, or contact Alyssa Lenhoff-Briggs at alyssabriggs@tiesteach.org. And to contribute to this amazing event, please visit our #GoFundMe page.
• If you or someone you know would like to participate in the “I am STEM” campaign, please contact John Roszczyk at john.roszczyk@gmail.com.
• For more information on our neighborhood planning work, please contact Alexander Leslie at alex@mycomcle.org. 

The NeoSTEM Ecosystem holds a virtual, open forum at 4 p.m. on the first Tuesday each month, and encourages everyone to join in the conversation. Our next meeting is January 4, 2022, and you can register for the meeting here.

For more information about NeoSTEM, contact Alyssa Lenhoff-Briggs at alyssabriggs@tiesteach.org, or John Roszczyk at john@neostem.org. And please contact John if you’d like a list of regular meeting attendees, their organizations, and email addresses.