GLENDALE, AZ — More than 1,000 local kids took the field Tuesday at State Farm Stadium while also learning STEM-related skills along the way.
The Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee partnered with Education Forward Arizona to host "100 Yards of Education: A STEM Playbook for Youth."
The keynote speaker was someone who played a huge role in Arizona Cardinals football for over a decade, former star receiver Larry Fitzgerald.
Students also got to meet with organizers from nearly 20 groups to experience the science, technology, engineering, arts, and math as it relates to sports and more.
“Being somebody who’s diligent and prepared, it translates to everything you could ever possibly want to do,” Fitzgerald told a crowd of students inside the stadium.
It was a speech that inspired some students, including Jennifer Constantino.
“He said that he was always working hard to be a football player, because he wanted to do that. It’s just, yeah, I really want to be a softball player,” Constantino said.
While being hands-on and enjoying all the event had to offer, it confirmed the career Evan Aguilar wants to go into.
“I really like the electric car,” he said of the booth with an electric car on site. “I like cars and really planning to make a brand of cars, electric or gasoline.”
The event helped students get out of the classroom and learn from many other experts in the STEAM field. Jay Parry, the president and CEO of the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee said they’re working on making a difference in the community as the big game approaches.
“We wanted to make sure we’re using the Super Bowl platform to create positive impacts in our communities, and there’s no better way than to get students involved in the Super Bowl,” she said.
“We think that learning like this is extremely valuable learning. They really get to come and see firsthand what it means to potentially be an engineer, what it means to be a scientist,” added Rich Nickel, the president and CEO of Education Forward Arizona.
It's one of many events across the Valley leading up to the Super Bowl in Glendale on February 12.
