AGAPE (Adolescent Girls and Parenting Education) High School is an alternative learning center program whose mission is to prepare its students for post secondary options, specifically college. Connected with the Saint Paul School District, the school has an enrollment of 120 young women who are currently pregnant or already parenting.

Valerie Vogt is the Director of IT Advisory Services at Inetium in Bloomington. She aspired to become involved with and support K-12 students studying in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields. This led her to post an offer on the getSTEM portal for working with students in a mentoring capacity. Bonnie Tapper, a teacher at AGAPE High School in Saint Paul, noticed the offer and requested Valerie's help with a career day presentation.

Valerie spoke at the career day presentation to a group of about 30 students. She was impressed with the school and the students, and how engaged the class was. Some girls stayed after the presentation to ask more questions and find out how they might take a similar path.

Valerie enjoyed sharing her story of how she was able to balance college and parenting, along with her experiences in the technical consulting field. "I left AGAPE that day feeling energized and fulfilled."

Like Valerie, are you looking to support K-12 students studying in a STEM field? Or are you a teacher who wants to connect with STEM professionals for classroom assistance or mentoring? Join the getSTEM portal today, where Minnesota educators and businesses can connect and collaborate to build relationships to match STEM needs with STEM resources.