e4usa Featured by the National Science Foundation!
We’re honored to be featured in a recent article by the National Science Foundation’s Science Matters series: NSF support puts engineering curriculum in high schools.
The piece highlights how NSF’s investment has helped e4usa grow from a pilot initiative in 2018 to a nationwide program that has reached over 10,000 students in more than 100 high schools. It also showcases the real-world impact of our curriculum.
We’re proud to be recognized for our work in making engineering education a reality for all students. Thank you to our dedicated teachers, university and industry partners, and to NSF for believing in our mission.
Meet Our Summer Interns!
We are thrilled to welcome three outstanding summer interns to our team, supported through the generous backing of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. These talented individuals bring fresh perspectives, enthusiasm, and a strong commitment to engineering education. Over the coming weeks, they will contribute to a variety of initiatives, gaining hands-on experience while helping us advance our mission.
Below, you’ll get to know each of our interns—where they’re from, what drives them, and what they’re working on this summer. We’re grateful to have them on board!
Name: Alice Wang
School and Major: Columbia University, Undecided
Year in School (e.g., rising sophomore, junior): Rising Sophomore
Where is home for you? (City/State/Country): Staten Island, NY
How did you hear about e4usa? I first heard about e4usa through my scholarship with JKCF.
What will you be working on this summer with e4usa? I will be working as a communications intern
What excites you most about your internship? I am most excited to learn about the inner workings of an organization. Specifically, I’m excited to support mission-driven communications that make an impact through storytelling, creative strategy, and cross-platform engagement. I look forward to contributing to real campaigns—translating complex ideas into accessible narratives, tailoring content for diverse audiences, and learning the full communications cycle from planning to performance.
What are your future goals or interests in engineering or education or life? Currently, I am interested in working either in the biotech industry or fintech industry. I am not sure about graduate school, but it is possible for me to go for higher education.
Fun Fact About You! I am super into jrpg games, especially ones that are related to crime like Ace Attorney!
Name: Adrian Villegas
School and Major: Rice University, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Year in School: Rising College Freshman
Where is home for you? McAllen, Texas
How did you hear about e4usa? Through my scholarship with the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
What will you be working on this summer with e4usa? I’ll be serving as the Partnerships Intern, supporting efforts to build and strengthen collaborations that help advance e4usa’s mission.
What excites you most about your internship? I’m most excited about contributing to an organization that is passionate about making engineering education accessible and creating lasting, meaningful connections to support that mission.
What are your future goals or interests in engineering or education or life? I hope to make a difference by aiding in environmental remediation and contributing to sustainable design efforts as I grow as an engineer.
Fun Fact About You! I’m a pretty avid crochet artist, and many of my pieces focus on promoting mental health awareness.
Name: Anastasia Duenas
School and Major: Georgetown University – Biology
Year in School: Rising Senior
Where is home for you? Hampton Roads, Virginia, USA
How did you hear about e4usa? Through the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
What will you be working on this summer with e4usa? This summer, I’ll be supporting the assessment and operations teams at e4usa.
What excites you most about your internship? I’m excited to dive into e4usa’s initiatives, collaborate with staff and interns, and build skills in educational assessment and program operations.
What are your future goals or interests in engineering, education, or life? I plan to pursue graduate studies in biomedical research and hope to contribute to public health through innovations in medical diagnostics.
Fun Fact About You! I enjoy exploring cultural events and hidden gems around the D.C. area, volunteering in my community, and occasionally binge-watching a good show.
Summer Fun Update from e4usa!
Summer is always a busy and exciting season for e4usa—and 2025 is no exception!
We kicked things off with two incredible in-person professional development sessions in Tennessee and Miami, where we welcomed some amazing new teachers into the e4usa community. The energy, ideas, and collaboration were inspiring—and we’re just getting started!
Next up, we sent a small but mighty team to the ASEE Annual Conference, where we reconnected with old friends and introduced new folks to e4usa and the exciting possibilities with AP Engineering. We were thrilled to share our work on programming in engineering, teacher feedback, equity in pre-college courses, and more.
And we’re not slowing down! You’ll find us this July at:
NAF Next 2025 Conference, at the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center in Colorado, on July 7-10
Arizona's Summer CTE Conference at The Westin La Paloma Resort in Tucson on July 10-16
Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) Summit 2025 at the Hot Springs Convention Center on July 15-17
And we’ll wrap up the month at ASEE's First Year Engineering Experience (FYEE) 2025 conference with our friends at the University of Maryland!
We’ve also got two more new teacher PDs and a full slate of returning teacher PD sessions ahead. It’s shaping up to be a fantastic summer of growth, connection, and engineering for us all.
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We welcome all schools to learn more about this effort by exploring our website and signing up for our newsletter here. As always, we appreciate any feedback or suggestions you may have for our newsletter. Look for us on social media platforms with the hashtag #e4usa.