Building Bridges: Honoring An Educator Who Has Spent Their Career Opening Doors to STEM
Every year since 2002, TechPoint Youth has presented the Bridge Builder Award to a visionary leader who has dedicated themselves to expanding STEM access for Indiana students.
This year, for the first time, the award was presented at the Indiana Robotics State Championship, in front of nearly 2,000 students and more than 10,000 fans at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The students on that floor, and the educators who spent years getting them there, are exactly who this honor has always been about.
This year's recipient is Jennifer Stewart, STEM teacher at Greenfield Central Schools.
Jennifer’s Story
Jennifer Stewart has been teaching at Greenfield-Central for 28 years. For the first twenty of them, she was a language arts and social studies specialist, a department chair, a school webmaster, and a mentor to student teachers.
Then, in 2018, Greenfield-Central decided to build a computer science curriculum for fourth, fifth, and sixth graders from scratch. No one in the district had done it before. Jennifer stepped up to build it.
She designed and implemented the curriculum herself, wrote grants to fund new programs, and created STEM learning experiences that students in her district had never had access to before. She became an assistant robotics coach, helping guide her team to state qualifiers in 2022, 2025, and 2026, and then a Unified Robotics Coach, making sure students of all abilities had a place on the team. She led a book club, mentored high schoolers, integrated cross-disciplinary concepts across her school's STEM programming, and helped build a culture in Greenfield where every student has a reason to believe STEM is for them.
A former student described her impact this way:
"Ms. Stewart's impact extends beyond individual lessons. She has helped strengthen STEM programming within her school and district by integrating cross-disciplinary concepts and securing resources that allow students access to high-quality, innovative learning experiences they might not otherwise have. Her work not only enhances academic learning but also prepares students with the mindset and skills necessary for future success in STEM pathways."
A Moment on the Biggest Stage
Jennifer received the award on the championship floor at Lucas Oil Stadium, recognized in front of thousands of students, coaches, and families from across the state.
"I am truly honored to receive the Bridge Builder Award from TechPoint Youth," she said. "I have been lucky to have so many wonderful people build bridges for me along the way and encourage me to cross them. Because of them, I get to help build new bridges so more students can explore STEM, try new things, and see that they are truly capable. Whether they love robots, coding, or just figuring out how the world works, STEM is for everyone."
Jennifer Stewart has spent 28 years proving that. The students she has taught, and the doors she opened for them, are her legacy.
About the Bridge Builder Award
The Bridge Builder Award recognizes visionary leaders helping underserved students in Indiana access experiential learning that inspires the pursuit of STEM careers. Recipients are selected for significantly advancing STEM education in Indiana, using innovative approaches to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, making a measurable impact on students and their communities, and collaborating to ensure the long-term sustainability of STEM programs. Each year's recipient receives a $1,000 grant to direct to the 501(c)(3) charity of their choice.
