My name is Sophia Davies, and I’m a 15-year-old student from Springbank, Alberta. I’m also the founder of STEM for the Future, a nonprofit dedicated to making science and technology education more accessible, inclusive, and hands-on.
Right now, I’m leading an initiative to modernize Alberta’s Grade 7–9 science curriculum, and I’m writing today because I believe our province has a responsibility to ensure students are prepared for the world ahead, not just the world behind.
Our current science curriculum hasn’t kept pace with the rapid growth of STEM fields. While the world around us is being transformed by artificial intelligence, climate science, sustainable technology, and advanced robotics, many Alberta students are still learning from outdated textbooks that rarely reflect real-world applications. In underfunded and rural schools, access to hands-on STEM learning, such as coding, design challenges, or robotics, is nearly nonexistent.
This isn’t just about technology. It’s about opportunity.
Students who are exposed to hands-on STEM before high school are significantly more likely to pursue STEM careers. Girls, in particular, are 33% more likely to stay interested in science if introduced to it before the age of 13. Yet, despite living in a country that prides itself on innovation, only 35% of Canadian high school students graduate with a STEM course in their final year. Even fewer feel confident applying those skills outside the classroom.
That gap is costing us, not just as individuals, but as a society. We need systemic change. That’s why I’m calling on Alberta’s Board of Education to update the provincial curriculum and embed modern, hands-on STEM opportunities into the classroom, for every student, in every community.
We need policy change to make this permanent, scalable, and equitable.
If you believe, like I do, that education should prepare students for the world they’re entering, not the one that existed decades ago, I invite you to join this movement. Please consider signing and sharing the petition to help bring this vision to life at www.change.org/changethestemcurriculum
With your support, we can help ensure every Alberta student has access to the skills, confidence, and curiosity they need to shape the future.
By Sophia Davies
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