How do we do it?
We collaborate with guest speakers and passionate high school students from across Illinois.
Free workshops · Illinois · led by students
Find what makes you tick.
We help young students discover what excites them by giving them real exposure to the world of careers. Free, hands-on, and led by people barely older than them.
Our mission
StudentTeachers is a free program that helps kids in middle and elementary school explore real careers early. High school volunteers and guest speakers run hands-on workshops across Illinois, from coding to medicine to art, so students can discover what they love long before they have to choose.
01 — The idea
Big decisions shouldn't be a guess.
How does it work?
We host engaging, hands-on workshops led by guest mentors and passionate high school students.
Why did we make this?
Many students don't get the chance to explore different careers until high school, when decisions feel rushed and uncertain.
02 — Why us
Five reasons it works.
Free workshops
We offer free workshops because we believe students learn best when they're inspired.
Experienced faculty
StudentTeachers handpicks guest speakers and volunteers to teach about advanced concepts.
Find your passion
We help students uncover their passions by giving them the chance to explore.
Build your network
Workshops are often led by high-school students passionate about their field.
Volunteer hours
Helping out at StudentTeachers counts as volunteer hours.
Ready to dive in?
Join the team →
03 — What we explore
So many paths.
Each weekend zooms in on a different field. Here's a taste of what we cover.
Science & Medicine
Dissect a (fake) frog, run a mock ER triage, meet a real nurse or researcher.
STEMCode & Robotics
Build your first website, program a mini-robot, and break things on purpose.
TechArt & Design
Sketch, animate, and design a brand from scratch with student artists.
CreativeBusiness & Money
Pitch a startup, run a lemonade-stand economy, learn how money actually works.
BusinessEngineering
Build a bridge out of spaghetti, then test it to destruction. Yes, really.
STEMMedia & Film
Storyboard, shoot, and edit a 60-second short before the snacks run out.
Creative
04 — A day at an in-person camp
What an in-person camp looks like.
This is the flow for our in-person camps — doughnuts, tables, the whole thing. Our first camp is online, so it runs live on Zoom instead (full details just below).
-
10:00
Doors & donuts
Show up, grab a snack, find your group. No prep needed.
-
10:15
Meet your mentor
A high schooler or guest speaker kicks off the day's field.
-
10:30
Hands-on build
The main event — you make, code, design, or experiment.
-
11:30
Show & tell
Share what you built. Everyone cheers. It's a whole thing.
-
11:50
Wrap & what's next
Pick up a take-home challenge and sign up for the next one.
Next workshop
Now in person.
Free · Naperville Public Library · Grades 5–8 · Tuesday, Sep 22.
📍 In person · Naperville Public Library
We're taking it offline.
Our next session is in the room, not on a screen. Hands-on, student-led, and free. Come build with us at the Naperville Public Library.
$0
100% Free
No cost. Just show up and build.
📍
In Person
Face-to-face at the Naperville Public Library.
👩💻
Student-Led
Taught by the same high-school devs, right in the room.
Workshop details
📅 DateSep 22, 2026
🕘 TimeTBA
📍 LocationNaperville Public Library
🤝 FormatIn person
👥 WhoGrades 5–8
💲 CostFree
Free to attend. Room and exact time sent after you RSVP.
05 — Our first camp
Web Development + AI Camp.
Free · Live on Zoom · Grades 5–8 · Thursday, July 30.
💻 Our first camp · 100% Online · Live on Zoom
Build with AI — and actually understand it.
Don't just ask AI to build a website. Learn how to understand it, fix it, and make it better, and leave knowing how it works behind the scenes.
“Anyone can ask AI to build a website. The people who stand out are the ones who understand what AI built.
$0
100% Free
No cost. Just show up and learn.
🏅
Certificate Included
Earn a certificate of completion.
👩💻
Taught by Student Devs
High-school instructors with 6+ years of web dev experience and real projects.
What makes this different?
We go beyond just using AI. You'll learn how to:
- Understand the code AI writes
- Customize and improve what AI builds
- Fix problems when AI gets stuck
- Turn ideas into real websites, faster
- Build skills that will always be useful
You'll leave with
- A real website you built
- A real understanding of how AI works
- A certificate of completion
- The confidence to keep building on your own
Camp details
📅 DateJuly 30, 2026
🕘 Time9:30–11:45 AM
💻 FormatLive on Zoom
👥 WhoGrades 5–8
💲 CostFree
🏅 CertificateIncluded
Join from anywhere, all you need is a laptop and an internet connection. Zoom link sent after you sign up.
Every kid has a spark. We just help them find it earlier.
06 — Get involved
Lend a
Lend a
hand.
Help run workshops, share your career, or host us at your school or library.
🙌
Volunteer
Help run workshops, earn volunteer hours, and inspire younger students.
Open form ↗ 🎤Guest speaker
Share your career, your story, and what you wish you'd known earlier.
Open form ↗ 🏫Host a workshop
Schools & libraries: give us a room and we'll bring the whole program, free.
How it works →
07 — The humans
Meet the team.
High schoolers from across Illinois running the whole thing.
Akshobya Rao
Founder
Started StudentTeachers to give younger students the early career exposure he wished he'd had.
Hardik Jain
Co-Founder
Co-founded StudentTeachers and helps drive the program, partnerships, and where it goes next.
Ian Shi
Workshop Mentor
Runs the workshops and keeps every session hands-on, clear, and genuinely fun.
Adwik Sharma
Support Mentor
Works the room so no student gets left behind, big help, big energy.
Arhaan Shaikh
Logistics Mentor
Handles materials, setup, and check-in so every workshop runs smoothly.
Sagar Raut
Outreach Mentor
Connects with schools, libraries, and guest speakers to grow the program.
08 — For schools & libraries
Host a workshop, free.
We bring the program to your space. Here's exactly how a partnership works.
We bring
- A planned, hands-on workshop (1.5–2 hrs)
- Trained high-school volunteers to run it
- All activity materials and supplies
- Snacks for the students
- A guest speaker when the topic fits
You provide
- A room for a couple of hours on a weekend
- Tables, chairs, and ideally a screen
- Help spreading the word to families
- A staff contact on-site during the event
Safety & logistics
- Parent/guardian sign-up for every student
- Volunteers follow your site's guidelines
- We keep group sizes small and supervised
- Flexible on dates, topics, and age range
Interested in hosting? We'd love to find a date.
Email us about hostingWant the details first? Host guide (PDF) · Safety overview (PDF)
09 — Questions
Good questions.
How do I sign up?
All you need to do is fill out our student signup form. It's open now!
Do I need to bring materials?
In most cases, no. However, some workshops may require a Chromebook.
How does my child benefit?
StudentTeachers introduces students early to a wide range of career paths.
How can I join as a tutor?
Fill out our volunteer Google Form. We're currently looking for tutors and volunteers.
Are the workshops really free?
Yes, all workshops are free. There will also be snacks provided.
Who leads the workshops?
Workshops are led by guest speakers and passionate high school students from across Illinois.
10 — Contact
Get in touch.
Questions, ideas, or just want to say hi? Reach out, we read everything.
✉️
Instagram
Email us
studentteachersofficial@gmail.com
Send a message → 📸@studentteachersofficial
Follow us ↗ ▶️YouTube
@TheStudentTeachers
Watch ↗Looking for something specific?
Let's explore. ✦