“It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education.” – Albert Einstein In my 15 years in K-12 education, I have focused on developing modern learning environments and programs that support a strength-based approach for students. My education narrative began as a failed, traumatized Kindergarten student who had countless visits to the Principal’s office. During those early elementary years, my interests were not in school, but rather building with Legos, creating storylines with my GI Joes, and making up games with friends down the street. Reflecting on my education journey from student to teacher, I discovered learning can happen anywhere and in many contexts. Specifically for me, comic books taught me how to read, sports taught me teamwork, and tinkering with cardboard inspired my engineering career. As I transitioned from engineering to education, I fully understood the power of focusing on students’ passions and interests. I was known as the “rebel” teacher who varied from the traditional curriculum and brought topics like video game-based coding, stock market trading, and launching eggs with catapults to teach content area standards. Making education relevant for the students is where I saw the most success, and that often led back to lessons being social, hands-on experiential and demanded creativity…and oh yea, not tied to an irrelevant worksheet. These guiding principles continue to drive me to design products that support the maker mindset, creative soul, and encourages STEM education for every learner!