Our Commitment

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are watchwords, not buzzwords, at Sierra STEM.

As an organization founded by a straight, White, male scientist in an industry overwhelmingly dominated by White men, Sierra STEM aims to make the natural world and STEM fields more welcoming, just, and inclusive spaces for everyone, especially historically marginalized populations.

Our commitment to DEI principles is woven into the fabric of our activities and services. DEI work is one of the cornerstones of every experiential learning and professional development program we design and facilitate. Our most popular educational consulting services center DEI principles, helping educators use institutional data regarding diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice to guide their planning and decision-making.

Besides being an explicit component of our programs and services, we believe that diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice must also be implicitly enmeshed into our organization’s culture. Sierra STEM is committed to promoting justice and inclusion in many small ways in our everyday work, such as by including our preferred pronouns in our personal introductions and acknowledging the indigenous peoples who were traditional stewards of the lands we use as our outdoor classrooms.

At an organizational level, Sierra STEM puts its money where its mouth is.

We invest 5% of every dollar earned in signature DEI/“JEDI” initiatives that reflect our core values.

Below is a sampling of the initiatives to which we contribute:

  • Diversity

    • Women and non-binary individuals are underrepresented in science and the outdoor industry. A portion of every dollar earned is donated to organizations dedicated to making science and the outdoors more accessible to girls and gender non-conforming youth.

  • Equity

    • Children who grow up in rural and socioeconomically disadvantaged communities, including some of the communities in the Eastern Sierra where Sierra STEM is based, often lack resources for experiential education and advanced STEM enrichment opportunities. In order to level the playing field a little more, Sierra STEM serves local rural communities by providing free and discounted services to such students.

  • Inclusion

    • Experts and entrepreneurs who identify as women or people of color are systematically undervalued in the US. Sierra STEM strategically partners with subcontractors, vendors, consultants, and guest speakers from underrepresented groups in order to boost their profiles and make our programs more diverse and inclusive.

    • Outdoor sports and leisure activities are notoriously inaccessible to individuals with physical disabilities and certain mental illnesses. Sierra STEM partners with schools for disabled youth to offer free and discounted services to these underserved populations.

  • Justice

    • Black and Brown communities are disproportionately harmed by climate change. Sierra STEM purchases carbon offsets for every experiential learning trip to reduce the negative impact of program-related travel on the environment and on marginalized groups.

    • North America’s indigenous people have experienced centuries of violence and oppression. Each year, Sierra STEM directs funds to initiatives that support native populations in our local community.