What is the DC Summer STEM Academy?

The DC Summer STEM Academy was founded in 2021 by Andrew Callard and Dr. Aprille Ericsson to provide affordable summer STEM enrichment opportunities for students attending DC Public and DC Public Charter Schools. While the Academy created its own in-person and online STEM enrichment programs from 2021-2024, it has now turned its attention more widely to the host of summer STEM enrichment programs available to middle school students in the DC area. Its current mission is to provide funding for students attending DC Public and Public Charter schools to attend STEM enrichment programs that might otherwise be cost-prohibitive. Students who are looking to receive scholarship funding for a qualified summer STEM program for middle schoolers file an application with the DC Summer STEM Academy, which then makes a decision about whether to provide the scholarship, and how much scholarship funding to provide.