New Stuyahok Teacher Selected as 2026 National STEM Scholar; Ten Middle School Teachers Nationwide Selected for Prestigious Program 

By Investing in Influential Middle School STEM Teachers, Program Reaches Thousands of Students in Classrooms Today and Far into Future

 

NEW STUYAHOK, Alaska (May 12, 2026) – Wendy Kate Mendiola, a teacher from Chief Ivan Blunka School in New Stuyahok, Alaska, is among ten middle school teachers from eight states who have been selected to participate in the prestigious National STEM Scholar Program, a unique professional development program providing advanced STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) training, national network building and project support for middle school science teachers nationwide.

 

Created in partnership between the National Stem Cell Foundation and The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science at Western Kentucky University (WKU), the National STEM Scholar Program selects ten teachers each year from a national pool of applicants based solely on the description of a “big idea” Challenge Project the applicant would implement in their classroom if funds were available. Selected projects are chosen for maximum impact in middle school classrooms where research shows lifelong STEM career decisions are being made. STEM Scholars convene on WKU’s campus for a week of advanced STEM training and finalize their projects with input from their STEM Scholar class colleagues. 

 

“STEM matters to me because it is a pathway to transformation. In rural Alaska, science becomes a tool for liberation, connecting knowledge with culture, land, and lived experience. I teach with the belief that my students are future nation builders and culture bearers, and this program empowers me to create learning spaces that honor who they are while expanding what they can become,” said Wendy Kate Mendiola.