The 2025 Educator Symposium, supported by DoD STEM, united education professionals across Southern California at the TGR learning Lab Anaheim for a day of learning, connection and collaboration.
The event featured hands-on workshops, networking opportunities and a resource fair highlighting tools, practices and experiences to help educators engage students in real-world learning experiences, with emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields connected to future career pathways.
“The symposium was full of energy and passionate educators across Southern California coming together to learn new strategies, resources and opportunities to support students toward success, said Eric Moore TGR Foundation vice president of programs. “We’re grateful to DoD STEM for our ongoing partnership to invest in educators and our next generation of leaders.”
With a variety of sessions ranging from AI-powered student engagement strategies and interdisciplinary teaching approaches to specific lessons on subjects like exploring biotechnology through pipetting, educators were able to design their day based on their unique interests and needs.
“My personal goal was to eliminate the phrases: ‘I’m not a STEM person. I’m not a science person. I’m not a math person’ from everyone’s vocabulary,” said Anna Gianina Reynolds, STEM outreach coordinator, Girls Inc of Orange County. “I’m hoping that the folks take what they learned in these sessions, mine and the other ones, and are able to take that out to the students and really support them.
Many sessions demystified STEM instruction for educators, allowing them to experience lessons they would want to take back to their students.
“I appreciate the classroom setting because it makes it easier for me as I’m experiencing it as a student,” said Barbara Shaw, an early elementary educator. “They’re showing me not only that I can do it, but they’re showing me how to do it.”
Shaw has participated in several professional learning opportunities and is grateful for the ongoing support and lesson plans she’s gained through TGR Foundation.
“I’ve had a phenomenal experience, as I anticipated, and TGR Foundation has really helped me as an educator,” said Shaw. It’s a drive for me. It takes me almost an hour, but it’s totally worth it.”
In addition to the workshops, the resource fair provided extended access to networking opportunities and exploration of innovative tools.
Collaboration was also a valuable component of the symposium for presenters and educators.
“We got a lot of really good feedback and got to talk to a lot of folks who teach different age groups,” said Reynolds. “It was really good to see how our work impacts and relates to what they do in the formal classroom, since we’re informal, and why these types of opportunities are important for educators.”
The symposium was Lakeisha Barett’s first professional learning experience provided by TGR Foundation and exceeded her expectations.
“It was very different from what I expected,” she said. “It broadened my horizon about some of the gaps in my school district that are happening in Orange County that could support our students in Rialto. It was a bigger scale than I anticipated, but it’s definitely very encouraging, and I definitely want to come back.”
The Symposium is one of many professional learning opportunities offered by TGR Foundation, with support from DoD STEM. For more information on the partnership and upcoming opportunities for educators, visit TGRFoundation.org.
