As the 2024-25 school year comes to a close, we are celebrating an incredible year of impact, growth, and partnership through our STEM Like Me!® career-connected learning program. Together with local employers, community partners, and dedicated STEM professionals, we’ve helped students across Snohomish County discover new career pathways and envision futures filled with opportunity.
By the Numbers: This Year’s Reach and Impact
1,169 students engaged across Snohomish County
275 students participated in our final event alone
84% of students reported a stronger understanding of STEM careers after attending
57% of students are now more interested in pursuing a STEM pathway
100% of participating employers said their involvement increased student awareness of careers in their field
These numbers reflect real moments of discovery as students explored hands-on activities, engaged directly with STEM professionals, and learned about careers they might never have considered otherwise.
What Students Are Saying:
🔧 “Learning what civil engineers do”
⚕️ “CPR! It’s really interesting to me! I would want to be in healthcare”
🌿 “Learning about the jobs that work with nature”
⚡ “I now want an electrical engineering job”
⚓ “Being a boat technician got my attention”
🗺 “Possibly becoming a land surveyor”
🎯 “Knowing how to do things now to make a career later”
The Power of Partnership: Career-Connected Learning
STEM Like Me!® thrives because of the commitment of our local employers and partners who invest their time, expertise, and resources to make these events possible. This year, 14 organizations participated as presenters and role models, helping to spark inspiration and expand opportunity for our students:
CORE Design, Inc.
Eckstrom Industries
Edmonds College AMSC & Edmonds College WATR Center
Harmsen, LLC
PACE Engineers, Inc.
Seattle Indies
Sno-Isle Tech Skills Center
Snohomish County PUD
Snohomish County Public Works
Northwest Ambulance
Northwest Maritime Apprenticeship
Washington Poison Center
WSU College of Agriculture at NWREC
Zap Energy
What Employers Are Saying:
“Seeing the students wanting to participate and learn”
“Getting to share what I enjoy about my career to kids who may not otherwise see it”
“The curiosity of the students and watching them have “Aha!” moments was great”
“Seeing students lean in with interest”
“Students came back afterwards with more questions, they seemed genuinely interested in our field”
By coming together, we are ensuring that career-connected learning is more than a concept–it’s a reality for Snohomish County students.
Fueling the Work: Funding and Support
This year’s STEM Like Me!® programming was made possible, in whole or in part, through generous support from a combination of competitive grant awards, one-time funding, and employer sponsorships. We are especially grateful to the following funding partners for their investment in our future workforce:
Boeing Global Engagement Grant
Google Cloud
Economic Alliance Snohomish County
Federal award number SLFRP0194 awarded to Snohomish County by the U.S. Department of Treasury
These critical funds allowed us to expand our reach and enhance the student experience–but to sustain and grow programs like STEM Like Me!®, we rely on continued community and industry support.
Why This Work Matters
At Snohomish STEM, we know that early exploration of local career pathways helps students envision futures that feel both accessible and exciting. STEM Like Me!® provides students with tangible experiences that show them what’s possible right here in their community.
And the need is clear: Washington State continues to lead the nation in STEM workforce share and projected demand through 2030. In fact, 33% of all job postings in Washington in 2024 were in STEM fields. Preparing students to meet this demand is not just a workforce priority–it’s a community imperative.
#PartnershipsMatter #InvestingInOurFutureWorkforce #CareerConnectedLearning
Looking Ahead: Join Us for 2025-26
We’re already preparing for another impactful year of STEM Like Me!® and invite more businesses, organizations, and STEM professionals to get involved. If your business, nonprofit, or educational organization is interested in supporting career-connected learning or becoming a sponsor of STEM education in Snohomish County, we’d love to hear from you.
Interested in sponsoring, presenting, or partnering? Let’s connect and create more opportunities for our future workforce.
🔗 Learn more: https://snohomishstem.org/stemlikeme/
