STEMEducation
In 2024 Firsthand celebrated a decade of impact, having led thousands of students over the years in hands-on STEM engagement and career exposure.
From launching new immersion curricula to scaling the FirstHand model, we continue to provide pathways for students to explore and achieve their potential.
We've moved beyond simply bringing students into the lab and aim to equip them with the skills and connections to real world professionals needed to recognize STEM careers as a viable possibility for them.
2024 Highlights
Key Takeaways
We nurtured STEM identities.
Continued mentorship, alumni hours, and runway-extending tracks encouraged middle and high school students to see themselves as STEM enthusiasts.
We laid the first steps to a STEM career.
A supportive ecosystem transforms youth into tomorrow's innovators. FirstHand sparked their interest by connecting students to STEM mentors, while local companies sustained that momentum by welcoming them into the workplace.
We scaled our impact.
The FirstHand model was scaled to serve more students across more geographies.
By the Numbers
2024 Impact
345 FirstHand students served from 51 schools.
This included 233 middle school students and 112 high school students.
Schools included:
Add B. Anderson School
Alain Locke School
Belmont Charter School
Bodine High School for International Affairs
Building21
Community College of Philadelphia
Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School
Dobbins Technical High School
Francis Scott Key School
Franklin Towne Charter High School
Friends’ Central School
Furness High School
George Washington Carver High School of Engineering and Science
Girard Academic Music Program
Girard College
Global Leadership Academy Charter School
Haverford School
Highland High School
James Rhoads School
John Bartram High School
John F. McCloskey School
Kensington Creative & Performing Arts High School
Kensington Health Sciences Academy
KIPP West Philadelphia Prep
Lincoln High School
Martha Washington Academic Plus School
Mastery Charter School—Pickett Campus
Mastery Charter Schools—Thomas Campus
Multicultural Academy Charter School
Northeast High School
Overbrook High School
PA Cyber Charter School
Parkway West High School
Paul Robeson High School
Philadelphia High School for Girls
Philadelphia Military Academy
Preparatory Charter School
Roxborough High School
S. Weir Mitchell Elementary School
Sacred Heart Academy Bryn Mawr
School of the Future
Science Leadership Academy at Beeber
Science Leadership Academy Middle School
Simon Gratz High School Mastery Charter
String Theory School
TECH Freire Charter School
Tilden Middle School
W.C. Longstreth School
West Catholic Preparatory High School
William Penn Charter
Young Scholars Charter School
121mentors volunteered527hours
Mentors represented31companies
2024 Stories
Our STEM Education Milestones
2024 FIRSTHAND SNAPSHOTS
FirstHand Studentsare More Preparedthan Ever to Enterthe World of STEM
Ten years in, 2024 was a milestone year highlighting FirstHand’s evolution from single-day field trips to a nationally recognized, U.S. Department of Education-funded, multi-week STEM education program.
Award-Winning Innovation
The FirstHand team won the Next Gen Award at 1Philadelphia’s 2024 Innovation Awards. This award recognizes the achievements of an organization that has demonstrated exceptional leadership in sparking the next generation of local innovation.
Keep Tomorrow’s Innovators Local
In The Philadelphia Citizen op-ed, Maya Heiland, Science Center Senior Director of STEM Education, and Danae Mobley, CEO of Coded by Kids share their unique perspective on what it takes for kids from all Philadelphia zip codes to see themselves in a STEM career—and how building up a supportive local ecosystem will enable even more positive outcomes moving forward.
$100K from GSK for High School Programming
In 2024, FirstHand received a $100,000 donation from GSK for high school programming, specifically focused on high school outcomes. This generous donation allowed the FirstHand team to enhance its programs to better serve students with an interest in and aptitude for STEM.
bioMérieux Supports FirstHand
bioMérieux celebrated the grand opening of their Genomic Innovation Center in the Navy Yard, tripling in size from their uCity Square facilities. As a part of the ribbon cutting, bioMérieux, which acquired Science Center-incubated Invisible Sentinel in 2019, presented the Science Center with a $10,000 check for FirstHand.
Drop-In Student Engagement
This year saw the launch of a FirstHand alumni programming, with opportunities for students to come back to the lab for ongoing support. This included a “Donut Drop-In” where students could discuss mentorship opportunities, as well as “Pizza & Professionalism” that offered students resume and LinkedIn support, professional headshots, and more.
This impact would not be possible without the support of our funders.
Your support matters—it fuels our innovation ecosystem and allows us to continue to offer free programming.