Leadership
Shana Sanders Named a
2026 DoW STEM Ambassador.
Selected by the TGR Foundation and the U.S. Department of War — one of 30 educators chosen nationally to advance STEM outreach, access and opportunity.
For We Create Tech founder Shana Sanders, the work has always been bigger than teaching a technical skill.
It is about who gets access to the room, who gets invited to build and who gets the opportunity to see themselves in STEM before someone tells them they belong there.
That work is now entering a new national chapter.
The TGR Foundation — Tiger Woods’ education nonprofit — and the U.S. Department of War have selected Shana as a 2026 DoW STEM Ambassador, hosted through TIES. She is one of 30 educators chosen nationally from across academia, industry, nonprofits and government.
From the Classroom to the Community
Before founding We Create Tech, Shana spent 15 years as a Title I Career and Technology Education teacher — helping students connect creativity, technology and career pathways long before it was a national conversation.
That classroom experience still shapes how WCT approaches its work today. The students who get overlooked. The communities that get underfunded. The young people who are talented and ready but never got the invitation.
WCT was built as that invitation.
And now, with more than 1,100 learners across 20 states and 6 countries, the work that started in a single classroom has grown into something much larger.
What This Selection Actually Means
The DoW STEM Ambassador program is part of the Defense STEM Education Consortium (DSEC) — a federal initiative that brings together academia, industry, nonprofits and government to broaden STEM literacy and develop a diverse, technically excellent workforce.
Here’s how the DoW describes the mission of the program directly:
“Between academia, industry, not-for-profit organizations, and government that aims to broaden STEM literacy and develop a diverse and agile workforce with the technical excellence to defend our Nation. By addressing and prioritizing critical STEM challenges, the Department of War is investing in evidence-based approaches to inspire and develop the Nation’s STEM workforce. Educators recognized with the DoW STEM Ambassador award will partner with DSEC and DoW STEM to advance STEM outreach, access, and opportunity throughout 2026–2027.”
This isn’t an honorary title. It’s an active appointment with an impact project, a national cohort and a platform to bring STEM access to communities that have been left out of the conversation.
National Recognition
2026 DoW STEM Ambassador
Hosted by TIES · Managed by TGR Foundation · U.S. Department of War
A nationally competitive program connecting 30 educators from across the country around STEM outreach, access and real-world community impact.
2026–27 Cohort
TGR Foundation
TIES Host Organization
DSEC Partnership
Why STEM Access Still Matters
Talent does not exist in only one zip code.
Curiosity isn’t limited to students who already know the right language, have the right device or grew up around people working in technology.
But access still isn’t distributed evenly.
Young people should not have to wait until college to discover that they belong in technology.
That belief has driven every WCT program — from CreativX Lab at the Best Buy Teen Tech Center to TechRise certifications to ATLift, the civic tech app built entirely by Atlanta high schoolers who started with zero coding experience.
The programs look different. The mission doesn’t change.
Bringing the Work Back to the Students
Recognition matters most when it creates another way to serve.
For Shana, this opportunity is not separate from WCT’s mission — it strengthens it. Every room she walks into as a STEM Ambassador is another chance to make the case for the students who deserve to be in those rooms too.
An Emmy Award. A Google AI Fellowship. A WIT Atlanta Small Emerging Women in Technology Award. An Atlanta Changemakers nomination. Black Ambition Fundable Founders 2026.
None of it sits on a shelf. It all goes back into the work.
What’s Next
The 2026–27 year will include an impact project centered on STEM access and opportunity — helping more young people see a future in STEM and giving them a real way to start building it.
We’ll have more to share as the year unfolds.
In the meantime, the weekly workshops continue. The certifications keep getting earned. The apps keep getting shipped.
The work doesn’t wait for the recognition. The recognition catches up to the work.
We’re Just Getting Started.
Follow We Create Tech as we continue expanding hands-on STEAM experiences, partnerships and career pathways for the next generation.