With support from a grant from Variety – the Children’s Charity of Iowa, Jewels Academy is expanding access to hands-on STEM programming for young women across central Iowa, helping remove financial barriers and create new pathways into science, technology, engineering, and math education.
Jewels Academy is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering young women through STEM enrichment led by industry professionals. Serving students from elementary through high school, the organization provides hands-on learning experiences designed to build confidence, spark curiosity, and strengthen academic readiness - particularly for underrepresented young women.
Through the support of Variety, Jewels Academy expanded its Young Emerging Scientists programming for students in grades 4–9. Participants engaged in interactive STEM experiences including mechanical engineering projects where they designed and built catapults, entomology activities involving the creation of cricket habitats, and environmental science lessons where they constructed barometers to better understand weather systems. These immersive workshops helped students connect STEM concepts to real-world applications in meaningful and accessible ways.
The grant will also support upcoming 2026 programming, including AI prompting workshops as well as food science and physical science labs, further broadening students’ exposure to emerging fields and future career pathways.
This support from Variety – the Children’s Charity brought programming to some of the most vulnerable communities. Early exposure to STEM enrichment expands students’ future career outlook and helps remove barriers. This grant creates pathways for our most vulnerable populations. Variety opened the door to enable students to attend at no cost. We are deeply grateful.
Dr. Kimberly S. Wayne, founder and chair of Jewels Academy
Through partnerships like this, Variety continues its mission of helping children across Iowa access opportunities that inspire growth, independence, and long-term success.
