Career Discovery

Our STEM Career Discovery program is the first of its kind for students in Colorado. The program aims to leverage the power of collaboration between STEM students (K-12) and industry professionals to forge pathways of discovery and nurture unlimited human potential. These connections allow students to learn alongside experts as they solve real-world problems, explore their personal interests, and build relationships that can potentially lead to an internship/apprenticeship or full- or part-time job placement after graduation and during college.

Who to Contact

Headshot of Nicole Ryan
Nicole Ryan
Career Discovery Coordinator

Concurrent Enrollment (CE) Classes allow high school students to enroll in college-level courses and guarantee transfer (within the Colorado public university system) while still in high school. With our partnership with ACC, Metro, and UC-Denver, STEM offers more CE courses than any other District school. Students can begin working on an associate degree as early as their freshman year in high school. Students taking Concurrent Enrollment courses who would like to explore the pathways below will have automatic transfer eligibility to Colorado Colleges.

  • Biology – Pre-Med (Any Colorado College)
  • Computer Science (CSU, CU, or Colorado School of Mines)
  • Aerospace (CU transfer)
  • Biomedical Engineering (CU Transfer)
  • Plus other pathways within STEM, Business, Health, and more…

STEM is one of the first schools in the state of Colorado approved for the P-TECH Program. Through our partnership with Arapahoe Community College, students can earn an Associate of Applied Science in one of the following pathways: Robotics & Automation Technology, Cybersecurity, or Game Design & Development. Students can start in 9th grade and can continue at STEM through year 14. P-TECH provides college education, relevant workplace skills, and No tuition cost to students and families.
Pathways are:

  • Robotics and Automation
  • Cybersecurity
  • Game Design & Development

No penalty, cost, or problem if a student leaves the program.

The Innovative Learning Opportunities Pilot (ILOP) program offers high school students learning experiences outside of the classroom. The experiential learning is designed to enhance students’ education and support them in transitioning from high school to postsecondary education and/ or the workforce. STEM strives to identify various learning experiences in the community to enrich student education through apprenticeships, internships, project-based assignments, and other learning experiences. STEM School Highlands Ranch is the only DCSD school to offer the ILOP program.

Internships are for students in grades 11 and 12.

  • Students earn course credits for apprenticeships and internships. This does not need to be part of P-Tech or CE but can be used to enhance those pathways.
  • Students choose the industry/business they would like to intern with.
  • Students will intern during the summer or the school year.
  • STEM supports students with a unique schedule to accommodate student interns.

What Makes STEM Career Discovery Unique?

  • We work with subject matter experts to design classroom engagement and internship opportunities that align with our students’ interests.
  • Industry partners will work directly with our students as they solve real-world problems.
  • We collaborate with other schools, educational organizations, and state organizations like Colorado Workforce Development to make sure our students are connected with an entire network of support.

Industry Partner Interest Form

If you’re an industry partner, parent, or industry expert, or have a specialty you’d like to share with our students, please click the button below to complete our Career Discovery Interest Form.

Ways that you can get involved with students include:

  • Introduction – Present informally about your profession and skills used in your field, and answer questions from students (30-50 minutes)
  • Internship – Supervise a high school student as they complete work at your organization (75 hours/1 semester)
  • Mentorship – Work with groups of students during their investigations of a problem, offer advice, and share expertise (1 hour a week for 3-4 weeks)
  • Presentation – Prepare a presentation about your profession and discuss specific topics requested by the teacher as they relate to your field. (30-60 minutes)
  • Workshop – Conduct an activity that teachers help facilitate in the classroom (40-90 minutes)
  • Panelist – Listen to student presentations and offer feedback