Day 1 Sunday

10:30 am – 11:30 am Student Drop Off and Check In 

10:30 am – 11:50 pm Dorm Set Up, Meet Your Roommate

12:00 pm Lunch for participants 

12:45 pm Overview of the week 

1:15 pm Getting to Know Each Other 

2:30 pm Exelon 101 Bingo 

3:00 pm Break

3:15 pm Discuss the challenge, hands on lesson related to the week/challenge

4:30 pm Leadership Session 

5:45 pm Move to dinner 

6:00 pm Dinner in Dining Hall

7:00 pm Return to dorm, dorm meeting and checking out dorm facilities; go over participant expectations

7:45 pm Activities at the dorm 

9:00 pm Dorm Time/Finish unpacking your things

10:30 pm Lights out 

Day 2 Monday

7:00 am Breakfast 

7:45 am Depart on Buses

9:00 am Fieldtrip

2:00 p.m. Arrive back to University – Challenge Related Activities

3:00 pm Challenge Work

6:00 pm Dinner 

7:00 pm Activities

9:00 pm Dorm Time

10:30 pm Lights Out

Day 3 Tuesday

7:30 am Breakfast 

8:15 am Challenge Activities

11:30 am Lunch  

12:30 pm Activities related to challenge 

3:00 pm Rec Time 

5:00 pm Dinner  

6:00 pm Leadership Session 

7:00 pm Challenge Work Time 

9:00 pm Dorm Time

10:30 pm Lights Out

Day 4 Wednesday 

8:00 am Breakfast presentation from University Admissions

9:00 am Activity Break Out sessions 

11:00 am Challenge Work 

12:00 pm Lunch with speaker

1:00 pm Challenge Work 

2:30 pm Rec Time

4:00 pm Freshen Up, Dress for Reception with Executives and Dinner

4:45 p.m. Shuttle from Dorm 

5:00 pm Reception with Executives 

5:45 pm STEM Leadership Panel 

8:00 p.m. Shuttle Back to Dorm 

8:30 pm Dorm Time

10:30 pm Lights Out

Day 5 Thursday 

7:00 am Breakfast 

8:30 am Fieldtrip

2:15 pm Board Bus Back to University

4:00 pm Challenge Work 

7:15 p.m. Group Photo 

7:30 pm Fun Activity Night 

9:30 pm Dorm Time and Finish Packing what can be packed

10:30 pm Lights Out

Day 6 Friday

8:00 am Breakfast  

9:00 am Check out of dorms

10:00 am Challenge Work 

11:30 am Lunch 

12:30 pm Challenge Presentation and Judging 

4:00 pm Debrief of the Week 

4:30 pm Learning and Leadership 

6:30 pm – 7:30 pm Participant Pick Up 

*Specific activities, and times subject to change

• Who is eligible to attend the Exelon STEM Leadership Academy?
  • Girls who are currently in 10th or 11th grade (Class of 2023 & 2024) in the ComEd service area are welcome to apply for the program.
    • Eligible Counties: Cook (including the City of Chicago), Boone, Bureau, Carroll, DeKalb, DuPage, Ford, Grundy, Iroquois, Jo Daviess, Kankakee, Kane, Kendall, Lake, La Salle, Lee, Livingston, McHenry, McLean, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside, Winnebago, Will.
• How much does it cost to attend?
  • There is no cost to attend the Exelon Foundation STEM Leadership Academy. Lodging and meals during the academy are provided.
• My daughter is currently in 9th grade, can she attend?
  • Applicants in the class of 2023 and 2024 are welcome to apply. Currently 9th graders are not eligible to attend the Academy but are welcome to join us for any of our shorter STEM Day events throughout the year.  
• Does applying mean I am accepted into the program?
  • No, the application is a competitive process. All applications will be reviewed after the application deadline and everyone will be notified via email as to the status of their application.
• Can I fill out the application for my daughter?
  • We ask that all applications be completed by the student interested in attending the program.
• Can I attend an academy outside of my service area?
  • Participants must attend the academy in their area. Applicants from Illinois must attend the Academy being held at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
• Can I attend the Academy if I attended last year?
  • At this time previous attendees are not eligible to attend the Academy. Previous attendees interested in being on student staff should contact Rebecca Lamb, rlamb@need.org by January 1, 2022.
• Will the Academy focus on the medical field?
  • While the STEM Academy encourages students to pursue all STEM fields, the program will not specifically address medical fields. The STEM Academy is focused on energy, sustainability, and climate change.
• Does the Academy allow religious or medical exemptions to the Covid-19 vaccine requirement?
  • No. All attendees must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 for the 2022 program.
• Do I have to stay on campus?
  • Yes, during the in-person academy all participants are required to stay on campus for the duration of the program.
• I won’t be able to attend Sunday, can I join the academy starting Monday? 
  • We are unable to accommodate partial participation. All participants must participate fully – Sunday through Friday.
• I have a doctor’s appointment scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, can my parents pick me up and bring me back after my appointment?
  • We are unable to accommodate participants coming and going from the program. All appointments (doctor, DMV, school pictures, etc) need to be scheduled outside of the Academy dates. If applicants have extenuating medical circumstances, contact Rebecca Lamb, rlamb@need.org prior to accepting a seat at the Academy.
• Can I attend the Academy virtually?
  • In 2022 the STEM Academy is scheduled to be held as an IN PERSON event. We are unable to accommodate virtual attendees in the in-person setting. If public health circumstances change requiring a switch to a virtual academy, all applicants will be notified. We do not anticipate a situation where some attendees are in person and some are virtual.
• Who can provide a teacher reference for me?
  • Your reference can be a classroom teacher, coach, club sponsor, volunteer advisor, faith leader, etc. Your reference should know you well and be able to speak to your interest in STEM and leadership.
• Can I provide more than one teacher reference?
  • Please provide ONE email address for your teacher reference. An automatic email will be sent to your reference on completion of your application.  
• I completed my application but have not received a confirmation email.
  • A confirmation email should arrive in your email inbox within 15 minutes of application completion. Be sure to check your spam/junk filter. If you do not receive an email confirmation, please contact Rebecca Lamb, rlamb@need.org prior to the application deadline.

What Past Participants Have Said

“Thank you for this opportunity. This week has been the best experience of my life!”

“I really enjoyed talking to people who have been successful. There was more of a chance to interact with people who are doing what I’m interested in too which I liked a lot too. I met a woman who has a such a cool job too!”

“My favorite part of the virtual STEM Innovation + Leadership Academy was getting to learn about the effects of climate change and coming up with solutions in our groups for how we can mitigate them. Over the five days, I became very close with my group, which I did not expect to happen with the virtual format.”

“I learned to own my own energy and to be my own person. If I am confident in what I do AND act, I can do anything I set my mind to. There are so many more jobs I can look into, especially since many industries are looking for more women. It was incredibly inspiring.”

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The Exelon Foundation is committed to powering a better future including focusing on funding education and workforce development programs, energizing communities and supporting employee philanthropy.

Energy Empowerment in Communities

Support for programs that address climate change with a focus on underserved communities, such as the Climate Change Investment Initiative (2c2i).

Energy Education & Workforce Development

Support for programs that inspire students to pursue careers in the energy field.

Employee Engagement

Support for employee philanthropy through the Exelon Foundation Employee Giving Campaign, Matching Gifts and Dollars for Doers programs.

ComEd is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation, a Fortune 100 energy company with approximately 10 million electricity and natural gas customers. ComEd powers the lives of more than 4 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s population. 



The National Energy Education Development Project promotes an energy conscious and educated society by creating effective networks of students, educators, business, government and community leaders to design and deliver objective, multi-sided energy education programs. NEED works with energy companies, agencies and organizations to bring balanced energy programs to the nation’s schools with a focus on strong teacher professional development, timely and balanced curriculum materials, signature program capabilities and turn-key program management.