STEM Mentors
About the STEM Mentor Program
Since 2001, the STEM Mentor program has been connecting talented teachers and robotics coaches with experienced STEM professionals to support experiential, hands-on, minds-on curriculum in the classroom. This program is committed to matching local STEM professionals to elementary, middle, and high schools to connect what the students are learning in the classroom and on their robotics teams to the real world. Becoming a STEM Mentor is a great opportunity to ensure all Indiana students know someone in a STEM career.
There are THREE ways to volunteer as a STEM Mentor:
Offer your STEM knowledge by volunteering at least once a month during classroom instruction.
Assist robotics teams with their engineering and coding skills during robotic team practices after school.
Mentor a high school junior or senior to help them navigate “What’s next?”.
It is important to break down barriers and stereotypes of who a STEM professional is. This program provides students with exclusive access to a STEM mentor who can share their life experiences and inspire students to see themselves as STEM professionals.
Applications for the 25-26 school year are closed. Please check back in April of 2026 to join next year’s group of AMAZING volunteers.
STEM Mentor Launches for the 2025-2026 School Year!
We asked our STEM Mentors:
“Why do you volunteer as a STEM Mentor?”
Bruce, Network Engineer
STEM Mentor since 2024
Sarah, Product Designer
STEM Mentor since 2023
Mitesh, Associate Director, Clinical Trial Drug Product Manufacturing
STEM Mentor since 2014
Caleb, Teaching Assistant
STEM Mentor since 2024
Celia, Operations Manager
STEM Mentor since 2024
Steve, Associate Director
STEM Mentor since 2015
Why Mentoring Matters
Mentoring can empower students to pursue their interests in STEM. Some of the benefits of successful mentoring include*:
Helping eliminate students’ stereotypes about who can succeed in STEM
Improving attitudes and decreasing anxiety around STEM subjects.
Supporting improvements in social, emotional, and behavioral health
Improving STEM-related grades/test scores
Increasing enrollment and persistence in post-secondary STEM courses
Research indicates that the consistent, enduring presence of a caring adult in a young person’s life can be the difference between staying in school and dropping out, making healthy decisions and engaging in risky behaviors, and realizing one’s potential and achieving one’s dreams.
Our Partners
Ways to Volunteer
In the Classroom
STEM Mentors work one-on-one with a teacher for at least one hour per month to help connect classroom instruction to STEM careers. Mentors work with teachers to provide in-person classroom engagement and hands-on STEM learning activities.
After School Robotics
TechPoint Youth is best known for our efforts to help start robotics teams throughout the state of Indiana. Our impact has greatly increased interest in after-school robotics programs, and we are now looking for volunteers to support teachers with technical expertise and serve as mentors to students! With the leadership of teachers and coaches, you will provide coding, building, mechanical, and problem-solving support to local teams in an after-school setting.
One-Time Support
Looking to get involved but can’t commit to ongoing volunteer work? Teams still need support as they host local robotics events, and classrooms still need your support with guest speakers. Just register with us and let us know you are available for a one-time opportunity.
How to Get Involved
RECRUITMENT FOR THE 2025-2026 SCHOOL YEAR HAS NOW CLOSED.
The first step in joining this truly unique opportunity is to register for the program below! Once you have completed registration, you will receive more information on selecting an opportunity, choosing a training date (yes, we provide that!), and locking in your spot for this program.
For more information, check out our Volunteer Page .
Applications for the 2025 - 2026 school year are now closed. Please check back in April of 2026 to join next year’s group of AMAZING volunteers.
Red icons indicate which schools still need STEM Mentors. Purple indicates schools currently active in our program.
“My class loves Ms. Mary Knadler! They are excited every Monday knowing she is coming and getting to learn from her.”
“My STEM Mentor was amazing! The ideas and insight he brought to the classroom was great for the kids. If nothing else, his presence as a STEM professional made my students more focused on their work. They worked hard for him and would often say they couldn’t wait to share their progress to him when he came on Thursday morning. I had other students from other classes ask why he couldn’t come to their classes. His presence and input was so valuable.
”
“On my second or third visit of the school year, the first year I was in the classroom in Avon, when I walked in the door the students clapped with excitement. It’s something I’ll never forget, and also something that never happens during my “normal” work day.”
Questions? Please email Danielle Daugherty at danielle@techpointyouth.org.