What is STEM Challenge

Guiding rural students on the path towards a STEM career requires a tripartite approach that addresses career decidedness, career thoughts, and vocational maturity. The authors provide an overview of a guided career exploration model employed by Project Engage. Through guided career exploration, rural students are introduced to the multitude of career possibilities in STEM as well as the knowledge and skills needed for those careers. Additionally, this chapter reviews the outreach component of Project Engage. Outreach to students from local high schools serves both as a recruitment tool and as a means to motivate rural students to pursue STEM as a college major. Finally, the authors present data from surveys regarding the effectiveness of the outreach activities on engaging high school students in STEM.