How DNA Learning Journeys Are Building STEM Confidence in Youth and Educators

When Amelia Mock stepped into her first full school year as Unit Director at the Boys & Girls Club of Kaleidoscope Academy in Appleton, Wisconsin, she faced a challenge familiar to many afterschool educators: she was running a program alone, without staff, and needed high-quality STEM activities that didn’t require a formal science background to teach.

“At the time, I did not have any staff working at my site; it was just me,” she said. Even so, she continued, “lessons can’t be just things I found on Pinterest.”

When the school district sent an email sharing STEM Next’s Genomics Learning Journeys, created in partnership with global genomics leader Illumina, Amelia decided to give them a try. What she found was more than curriculum; it was a structure that made STEM feel accessible, both for her and for her students.

DNA as a Building Block of STEM Learning

STEM Next has partnered with Illumina on the “Future is Bright” campaign to bring the power and wonder of DNA science to afterschool and summer programs nationwide. 

This partnership has brought high-quality genomics learning to an estimated 121,000 youth in 2025, demonstrating a powerful proof-of-concept for bringing complex science into afterschool and summer programs. This partnership also enables deep youth engagement and early connections to STEM careers, showing how genomics can be a gateway to the high-growth health and life sciences sector.

Through hands-on learning kits for DNA day in April, online Learning Journeys, and educator training, the initiative built strong demand and confidence among educators, with 92% expressing interest in continuing genomics learning. 

‘Learning alongside the kids’

Amelia is among many afterschool educators who have no formal background in STEM, but through activities like the learning journeys that include specific educator guides, they build their own confidence to teach these concepts. 

For Amelia, they gave her an entry point that felt manageable. The clear layout helped her understand what was expected, what supplies were needed, and how far she could stretch each activity.

“They increased my understanding and knowledge of science, which is not a bad thing for anybody,” Amelia said. “I was learning this alongside the kids. It’s an opportunity to model how you work through not understanding something.”

That also led to normalizing struggle and mistakes, which is a key strategy STEM Next encourages across its activities and resources to help educators foster an engineering mindset in youth. 

During one DNA activity, Amelia’s students decoded cereal pieces to simulate genetic sequences, but they wrote down the wrong code at first. As a result, students accidentally modeled a real DNA mutation.

“It was perfect. They actually came up with their own very tangible lessons about how DNA mutation works. Some light bulbs went on,” she said.

Other activities brought the same kind of spark. When exploring antibodies and antigens, students treated the pieces like tactile puzzles. In a pepper-and-soap demonstration, Amelia found herself leading a group of 20 middle schoolers through questions about surface tension as they experimented on their own.

Growing STEM Confidence, for Educators and Kids

Through her experience with the Genomics Learning Journeys, Amelia realized something that makes all the difference for educators in informal, out-of-school settings.

 “It’s really important that adults present themselves as lifelong learners and commit to modeling that. If you show that you’re curious and want to understand the material, you have to show your own investment in the learning for the kids to feel invested in it.”

Her experience is echoed by other educators using the learning journeys across the country. Through hands-on experiences in STEM, both adults and young people can build their confidence.

“These activities are highly engaging, and educators don’t have to have any special STEM training or knowledge to lead them,” said Crystal Snyder, an educator in Maryland who used the Genomics Learning Journeys.“The activities spark a natural curiosity which leads students to want to do a deeper dive.”

A similar sentiment was expressed by educators who participated in DNA Day in April. As part of the celebration of DNA science, STEM Next and Illumina provided hands-on DNA activity kits to afterschool programs across the country and provided resources to connect the activities to real-world careers. 

Brittany Timms, a K-5 STEAM teacher in Florida, said of the DNA Day activities, “This was such an engaging lesson, and my students loved the career connections.”

TJ Olenja of South Carolina, when describing her program’s DNA Day experience, said, “I appreciate having the resources to provide my students with hands-on learning experiences…with the goals of students developing more curiosity about medical science.” 

These experiences with the DNA Day activities and Genomics Learning Journeys embody the vision driving STEM Next’s Institute for a STEM Ready America: providing practical, high-quality resources that help adults feel ready to guide youth as they explore the fields driving our future. 

When educators gain confidence, youth gain possibilities; and what begins as a single hands-on activity becomes a gateway to durable skills, emerging career pathways, and a stronger national STEM landscape. This is the kind of scalable, system-wide progress we are committed to advancing nationwide, and we’re grateful for partners like Illumina that make it possible. 

Learn more about our partnership with Illumina bringing DNA science resources to educators nationwide.