IGNITE Virtual Show and Tell Mini-Panel with Paschal Sherman Indian School (Grades K-2)

On October 6, 2025, IGNITE Worldwide hosted a fun and engaging Virtual Show-and-Tell Panel for kindergarten through second-grade IGNITE Students from Paschal Sherman Indian School. The event featured STEM professionals from Oracle and Microsoft, with Fethiye Starmach, a Web Implementation Engineer, and Serena Lekhrajani, a Software Engineer II, sharing stories about their work and what inspired them to pursue tech careers. The session was facilitated by Selbi Orayeva, with the World Affairs Council, with tech support from Marcella Huang, Program Coordinator at IGNITE Worldwide. Special thanks go to educators Waylon Michel and David Beardslee for making the event possible.

The Panel started with the Educator giving a nice intro speech that explained STEM to the students. The panelists were so excited to speak with the students. They brought their stories to life with simple explanations and visuals to help the youngest students connect with their work. They explained how they build websites and software, what a typical day looks like, and how they started learning about computers. Students were curious and excited, and the educators noted how much it meant for them to see real women working in tech. The interactive format gave students space to ask questions, share smiles, and begin imagining themselves in STEM. In fact, the students were so excited by STEM that they asked some off-topic STEM questions like, “What happens when you get electrocuted?” and “Why do we have blood?” By the end of the session, students walked away with a new sense of curiosity about STEM and confidence that they belong in STEM, too.