President's Buckeye Accelerator

Celebrating a milestone moment: Youth for STEM Equity wins $50,000 through The Ohio State University’s President’s Buckeye Accelerator to fuel our mission of making STEM more accessible and inspiring for all students.

On May 1, 2024, Youth for STEM Equity (YSE) was awarded $50,000 through The Ohio State University’s President’s Buckeye Accelerator. This moment marked a defining chapter in our story, one that gave us the resources, visibility, and validation to strengthen our foundation and accelerate our mission of making STEM education more immersive and equitable.

The President’s Buckeye Accelerator is a competitive program that highlights student-led ventures creating innovative solutions for real-world challenges. To be selected was both an honor and an affirmation of the impact YSE is striving to make. It showed that our vision for reimagining STEM learning resonated not only with educators and students, but also with leaders committed to fostering meaningful change.

By the time of the award, we had already launched programs like Stories in STEM and STEMscapes, both of which were gaining momentum in classrooms and community spaces. The Accelerator funding did not create these initiatives, but it gave us the ability to refine them, scale them more sustainably, and build the behind-the-scenes infrastructure necessary to support their growth. It allowed us to invest in high-quality materials, improve facilitator training, and create systems that made our programs more consistent and replicable across different settings.

The win also gave us credibility that opened doors to new partnerships. In the months that followed, we connected with more educators, schools, and community organizations, each relationship expanding our reach and reinforcing our mission. This momentum also set the stage for opportunities beyond Columbus, including our presentation of STEMscapes at SXSW EDU 2025.

Looking back, the President’s Buckeye Accelerator was not just a financial award. It was a launchpad. It pushed us to think bigger about what was possible, to refine our processes, and to envision the long-term role YSE could play in reshaping how young people experience STEM. The support we received continues to echo in every classroom, library, and community we serve today.

The $50,000 award was more than a check. It was a vote of confidence in youth-led innovation and in the belief that equity-driven solutions deserve to scale. For YSE, it was a turning point, and its impact continues to guide us as we look toward the future of STEM education.