The eighth grade might sound a bit early to start thinking about an eventual career, but more than 2,500 students from the Chester, Lancaster and York County school districts will be doing exactly that at the Gateway Conference Center in Richburg. 

On November 10, The STEM Development Foundation, with support from Chester Economic Development from and the Chester, Lancaster and York County school districts, hosted its second Teen CEO Day second, where eighth graders from across the I-77 Alliance region had the opportunity to meet representatives from over 30 local companies exhibiting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) related careers. In addition, students heard nationally-recognized speaker Brooks Harper speaker present on the best steps to take now to prepare for a successful career later in the ever-changing modern work environment. 

Students enter the Conference Center in groups of 800 to spend an hour with company representatives at exhibits and an hour with Mr. Harper. To encourage engagement and participation, each student receives a “passport” containing questions to ask at least four companies in attendance, and those who complete the passport will be eligible to win prizes. Among the many goals of the event, perhaps the most important is to open more South Carolina students up to the possibility of pursuing STEM related careers and ultimately, inspire tomorrow's community leaders.

Not only will Teen CEO Day significantly enrich the perspectives of the students in attendance, but organizers believe events like these will help our state address the deficit of STEM based talent coming out of South Carolina. For more information on The STEM Development Foundation and its programs, please visit www.stemdevelopmentfoundation.com

**This post was made available by our friends at the SC I-77 Alliance.