On February 25th of this year, over 540 students and 170 presenters crammed into the EHS cafeteria and took part in what would become the biggest STEM Fair yet.

Number of attendees aside, most Eagan High School students do not actually understand the importance of the fair, let alone what it even is. Jim Lynch, the technology specialist here at Eagan, explains the STEM Fair as “kind of like a college fair, only you have professionals in medicine, engineering and math subjects.” Also, specialists in scientific fields are encouraged to attend. “The point of it,” Lynch continues, “is to have conversations between kids and these professionals.”

Senior Christina Le, two time attender of this event and member of the Robotics Team, speaks very highly of the presenters. “They were all very passionate about their careers,” she says. They raised awareness about many factors that go into choosing a career in these fields to even thinking of college choices.

Last years’ STEM Fair was limited to Eagan High School students alone; however, for this year Jim Lynch had a different idea. “This year,” he explains, “we thought it was a good idea to broaden it.” With this in mind, the professionals involved in this affair decided to make it a district 196 event. With this and its past success in mind, this annual occasion could potentially rotate between schools in the district. “Personally,” he adds, “I’d like to see it rotate, just to have the kids see something new.”

All in all, the second annual STEM Fair hosted by Eagan High School was a complete success, a tradition we hope to carry on for years. Hopefully, the tradition will be passed on by the school rotation idea proposed by Mr. Lynch. Regardless, all students who attended highly recommend that more join in next year.