STEMWest Welcomes Assistant Coordinator Carvan Craft Rich

Carvan Craft Rich is an AmeriCorps VISTA employee working as Assistant Coordinator at STEM West. Prior to this position she graduated from Western Carolina University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Environmental Science and a concentration in Professional Writing where she met her husband, James Steven Rich. They recently moved from Asheville, North Carolina to Hickory, North Carolina to better serve the area’s needs.

While at Western Carolina, she worked with Appalachian Voices and the Water Association of the Tuckasegee River. She is a native of Anderson, South Carolina. Since she comes from a family of educators and photographers, she has had a lot of experience being around the school system. In her spare time she loves to read, write, paint, take strolls down nature trails, and spend time with their cat, Nimbus.

This AmeriCorps VISTA position is funded by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund as part of the North Carolina STEM Ecosystem.

“The NC STEM Ecosystem, in partnership with the Afterschool Alliance and the STEM Funders Network, is embarking on exciting work to expand the amount of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education opportunities offered in informal learning spaces. To increase these types of opportunities for children and youth, better coordination, increased partnerships, and additional funding are all necessary. The STEM Education Expansion VISTA will work to build partnerships with STEM-related businesses, industry partners, higher education officials, and schools, especially around increasing access in out-of-school time programs. The NC STEM Ecosystem is a collaborative effort focused initially on nurturing, enabling and encouraging STEM education projects in rural western North Carolina.”