Veteran/Woman-Owned Business Launches STEM Education & Innovation Center in Collaboration with Women’s Business Center
Children of all ages will benefit from the programs offered by the non-profit Hebron-STEM Education & Innovation Center (STEM EIC) that recently opened at 10671 Courthouse Road in Fredericksburg. The Center is owned and operated by veteran Christina Clark, who was able to successfully open her business because of a partnership with the Women's Business Center, the Veterans Administration and the VetBizLadyStart a federally funded nonprofit program hosted at Old Dominion University.
The STEM EIC offers a variety of virtual and face-to-face STEM enrichment programs designed to engage youth in the rigor of science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM) content. These programs will offer hands-on learning activities that will encourage their young minds to investigate different careers and dream beyond their neighborhoods.
The STEM EIC programs will provide opportunities that enhance academic excellence, personal growth, and professional development to produce scientists, engineers, cybersecurity and information technology professionals, and other disciplines that require strong foundations in mathematics. In addition, STEM EIC will provide mentoring, workshops, Camps on Technology, Student Internship Opportunities, STEM Competitions and Events.
"STEM EIC is an organization purposed to give back to the community," said Clark. We are dedicated to youth in bridging gaps, ensuring workplace readiness, strategic career and post high school development, and improving the community at large."
According to a review from the Manassas-Woodbridge Chapter of Jack and Jill, Clark provided a virtual STEM activity for a group of 3rd to 5th graders for their organization in March. The review stated in part that "They stayed on screen and were attentive the entire time, which is hard to do for a 2 hour virtual event with 4th graders. I would highly recommend
Christiana Clark to host your next STEM event. She was professional, personable, knowledgeable and engaging."
"The VetBizLadyStart program is one of several programs we offer to support business ownership by women," said Erika Small-Sisco, director of the ODU Women's Business Center. "Christina's business opening is just one stellar example of how we are meeting our mission to help women successfully own, operate, and grow their small business resulting in
economic opportunities and job growth in Hampton Roads and beyond."
For more information about Christina Clark and the STEM EIC, visit stemeic.online or call (571) 494-6200. For more information about the Women's Business Center visit www.odu.edu/iie/wbc or call (757) 683-7150.
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About the Women's Business Center (WBC)
The mission of the WBC is to enable women's entrepreneurship by providing low to no cost tools for women to successfully own, operate and grow their small business, thereby creating economic opportunities and job growth by investing financially, intellectually and emotionally in the Hampton Roads community. The Women's Business Center (WBC) is funded in part by a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration and is a program of the ODU Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
