Resource Center

• By Stephanie Garcia, Ph.D. & Asaiah K. Puente, EdD, CNP • IDRA Newsletter • April 2026 •

IDRA knits together education, workforce and equity pathways so young people in San Antonio can see and access real opportunities. Our Alamo STEM Youth Summit is one moment in a broader strategy to strengthen the regional talent pipeline.

We recently held our third annual full-day Alamo STEM Youth Summit for students from San Antonio middle and high schools. This free event was co-hosted by St. Phillips College – MLK Campus and served close to 300 students representing nine school districts.

The summit broadens STEM career awareness, connects middle and high school students directly with college and industry mentors, and provides hands-on workshops to develop leadership and critical business skills.

Celina Moreno, IDRA President and CEO, shared during her keynote to the students: “We want you to see yourself as we see you: someone who can design solutions, solve problems and shape the future.”

At the summit, students attended action-oriented sessions and a STEM expo featuring exhibitors such as SAMSAT, IBC Bank, Wex Foundation, SETA Robotics, U.S. Air Force, Youth Code Jam, TX BioMed, and many more.

“One of the most powerful outcomes of the Alamo STEM Youth Summit was seeing nearly 300 students actively engaging with STEM professionals and college pathways they may not have previously imagined for themselves.

– Candace Barnett, St. Philip’s College, Academic Program Coordinator

Kenneth Pichot, MMS, a faculty member in the St. Philip’s College Department of Natural Sciences and who led an interactive workshop for students, shared: “Events like this are critical because they give students the opportunity to ask any questions they want. With this academic curiosity, students are empowered to become designers of their own education.”

We selected engaging sessions based on the students’ interests shared before the event, with prospective topics ranging from robotics and cybersecurity to aviation and medical engineering. The event featured 24 sessions, including virtual reality demonstrations, mastering a robot maze, a hospital simulation lab tour, and presentations on internship opportunities and the Prefreshman Engineering Program (PREP) at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Our goal is to open students up to the opportunities they have now and in the future.

A middle school student from Las Palmas Leadership School for Girls in Edgewood ISD reflected, This summit “helps people our age open our minds that there are more options for us.”

Many of our students who attended have already shown interest in STEM and in joining robotics clubs or coding teams at school. And others not drawn to such clubs may not have seen themselves in STEM. We keep this in mind as we structure and plan the event with sessions to showcase the breadth and depth of STEM fields. Our goal is to help students see what is possible and recognize that they belong in these spaces.

A 10^th-grader from Wagner High School in Judson ISD reflected on her established interest in robotics and how the summit expanded on her knowledge for the career paths open to her: “I think this event is amazing… I like that they showed the biomedical part… because, mostly in engineering, we talk about robots and we talk about actual manufacturing. But we never get to see the medical field of engineering. But today we actually got to see that. And I saw a lot of my peers interested.”

In addition to the students getting exposed to amazing college tours, impactful demonstrations and new opportunities, their teachers also benefit greatly.

“Getting to speak with the presenters and exhibitors had a huge impact for me,” said one participating teacher.

“One of the most powerful outcomes of the Alamo STEM Youth Summit was seeing nearly 300 students actively engaging with STEM professionals and college pathways they may not have previously imagined for themselves,” shared Candace Barnett, M.Ed., AET, academic program coordinator for the St. Philip’s College cybersecurity and information technology department. “Hosting this event at St. Philip’s College reinforced our commitment to creating inclusive, hands-on experiences that help students see themselves in STEM fields and higher education.”

This event would not be possible without funding from the Defense STEM Education Consortium, our co-host, St. Philip’s College, and other generous partners and sponsors, such as IBC Bank, Spurs Sports and Entertainment, and Moak Casey. Contact IDRA to help ensure this event continues to grow and excel, preparing future STEM leaders in our community.

We encourage San Antonio teachers to look out for next year’s interest form so your students can experience this powerful, free event that helps prepare them for future STEM college and career pathways.

Stephanie García, Ph.D., is IDRA’s STEM education specialist and directs IDRA VisionCoders and co-directs the Alamo STEM Ecosystem on IDRA’s  behalf (stephanie.garcia@idra.org). Asaiah K. Puente, Ed.D, CNP, is an IDRA consultant (asaiah.puente@idra.org).

FAQs

What is the Alamo STEM Youth Summit?
The Alamo STEM Youth Summit is a free annual IDRA event that connects San Antonio middle and high school students with STEM careers, college pathways and industry mentors through hands-on learning.

How does the summit help students?
Students explore STEM fields through workshops, demonstrations, college tours and conversations with professionals, helping them build awareness, confidence and career interests.

Who can attend the Alamo STEM Youth Summit?
San Antonio middle and high school students can attend through their schools. Teachers are encouraged to watch for next year’s interest form.

Why are events like this important?
Hands-on STEM events help students see themselves in future careers, expand their options and connect classroom learning to real-world opportunities.

[© 2026, IDRA. This article originally appeared in the April edition of the IDRA Newsletter. Permission to reproduce this article is granted provided the article is reprinted in its entirety and proper credit is given to IDRA and the author.]