Revived two years ago as an afterschool club, the Cordova Tech Club—and now First Tech Challenge (FTC) Robotics and Space Quest—involve one out of every five school-age children in Cordova, Alaska. This science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) based afterschool program is building more than just robots and science experiments—it is creating life-long learners and sparking STEM career interest among youth in this remote, rural community.  

Having received a STEM Afterschool Innovation Mini-grant last year, the Cordova School District used funding to boost Tech Club programming. Committed adult mentorship has also had a clear impact on student participation....