Support OpSTEM

screenshot of OpSTEM's 2026 Giving Day Page

On Thursday, February 26, 2026, CSU alumni, friends, students, faculty and staff came together for a virtual celebration of Cleveland State's campus community. Our OpSTEM community raised $5006! In addition, OpSTEM's Giving Day Ambassador was the top earner for the University/Student Fund/Program category, and we received an extra $1,000 - totaling $6006.00! Thank you for your support!


For our Scholars and STEM Peer Teachers (SPTs), OpSTEM is more than a program — it is a community. It builds confidence in mathematics, strengthens problem-solving skills, and creates pathways to graduate school and industry careers. Your gift helps students overcome barriers, build resilience, and achieve their goals in STEM fields. When you invest in OpSTEM, you invest in the next generation of scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and innovators.

Whether you are an alumnus, colleague, friend, or community partner, your support matters. Together, we can ensure OpSTEM continues to open doors and transform futures. 

For those interested in supporting OpSTEM, please reach out to Juan Amador at j.c.amador@csuohio.edu.

Scholars Featured for Giving Day

Video Transcript:

"CSU isn't the cheapest option, but it's the best program for my um desired major. So, all of the scholarship support that I'm getting is very appreciative because I know I can further my education, especially in doing what I want to do. Um if I wasn't getting some scholarship help, it would be harder to achieve what I'm trying to achieve in the world. And just academically, I love studying and I love my academics, but without scholarships, it would be impossible. I feel just like without CSU, I wouldn't be able to achieve what I want to achieve. When I was um younger, I was 10, we got custody of my nephew, who is now my little brother, and I wouldn't change that for the world. Um and he has just impacted my life so much. And he's seven. So, so excited to be able to be a role model for him, especially when he tells me he wants to be an engineer. And it's just like him having someone to show him what he can do and that even though it might be harder for him, it is possible and that he can do it. That just means so much to be able to be his big sister and his aunt at the same time."

Video Transcript:

"I love math because there's typically just one answer. That was like one of my favorite subjects. Having the [music] reputation of being a straight A student and things like that, you know, I was I've always been kind of the person just like [music] put my head down and kind of do it on my own, right? And just, you know, just work on it, just figure it out. The biggest growth I've seen in myself uh starting college [music] is probably in my teamwork skills. So, you know, working with other people to solve a problem, you know, whether that's we divide or conquer or whether that's we brainstorm on things together and learning to accept whatever, you know, whatever product comes of it. I discovered teaching was a strength. Um, when I first started college, I've learned that I'm really good at explaining problems, right? Helping other people to understand. You can really learn a lot from other people, especially with my job as a STEM peer teacher. Um, I've met a lot of great people. Uh, Operation STEM is a great program. Um, I never would have been a part of the program had I not come to Cleveland State. So, I definitely think this was the right decision."

 

Video Transcript: 

"I gave um a donation to Operation STEM when I first started at Cleveland State in 2017 with my bachelors I was actually a scholar of Operation STEM so I gave back to a program that benefited me when I first started college being a first generation student I felt like I needed extra help and receiving that help was beneficial to me to also just continue my degrees and now I am the graduate assistant for a program that benefited me so to be able to support the program even more than I'm doing as a graduate assistant financially I feel is a benefit making a donation to operation stem I thought was giving back to the students that are in the program or potentially going to be in the program the next semester um giving financial support we do Supply everything to these students the program is free they actually receive scholarships from from us to attend the program for the two weeks I think giving to a student is just making the student feel seen and heard with their issues that they're experiencing that they do need help just knowing that I was able to impact someone's life is what matters"

"My name is Keneé. I graduated in Spring 2023 as a computer science major. I am currently studying Masters of Legal Studies in Cyber Security and Data Privacy. My favorite memory at CSU was being aSTEM Peer Teacher in the Mathematics Department. I enjoyed helping people. I had a lot of friends. I still talke to them to this day and it was definitely the best time I spent at Cleveland State. Post graduation, I'm already a software developer at a really great company. So I hope to take my Master's Degree and move forward in the company there. CSU empowered me by just being flexible with the scheduling by having different classes that I can register for, the tutoring sessions the office hours. um CSU really provided a lot of resources for me to get my degree. My advice for students, um for me personally I was a non-traditional student. so I got my degree a month shy of my 37th birthday. So being a 37-year-old, single mother, having my own household, I have three toy poodles - CSU just offered so much to me where I can maintain that and still get a full-time degree. And I am a software developer now so CSU I mean just take that step. They will help you get the way."

Contact OpSTEM

Dr. Sara Froehlich 
Director, OpSTEM  
Professor of Practice 
Mathematics and Statistics
 
1860 East 22nd Street | RT1448
 
Cleveland, OH 44115
 
s.froehlich@csuohio.edu 

Mr. Juan Amador

Coordinator, OpSTEM 
Adjunct Instructor 
Mathematics and Statistics
 
1860 East 22nd Street | RT1444
 
Cleveland, Ohio 44115 
j.c.amador@csuohio.edu