#StoutProud: Chris DeLeon

Chris DeLeon '00 arrived at UW-Stout as a first-generation college student without a clear direction, but the university's hands-on approach and the mentorship of professors like Ken Welty and Dennis McAllisterhelped him discover his path. He credits Stout with giving him the practical tools and encouragement he needed as a nontraditional learner. "They really helped me along," he says. "They showed me how to write a lesson plan, what to look for and how to decide what to teach. They gave me the tools to be the teacher I am."

For more than 25 years, DeLeon has built a nationally recognized STEM program at Hudson Middle School that reflects those same principles: purposeful learning, real-world problem solving and opportunities that help students explore new possibilities for themselves. His programs have earned top honors in competitions that challenge students to think big. DeLeon says the goal is never the competition itself, but the students' confidence and resilience that grows from tackling challenges. "What I hope students get from my class is that they see the why," he says. "Why we're doing something, how it matters and how they can use it. I want them to walk away thinking, I can tackle that."

Those achievements include an extraordinary run of national recognition. In the program's second year, a team of five girls not only took first place in their NASA water purification challenge but also won a second NASA competition that same season. Their victories sent them to the Kennedy Space Center twice as NASA VIPs. They presented their project to NASA scientists and engineers, then went on to share their work at the World Algae and Biomass Summit, speaking to an international audience that included students and researchers from India, Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia. Their work drew coverage on National Public Radio and sparked years of continued innovation from Hudson teams.

Another group, the STEM Sisters, launched a project inspired by the popularity of the movie The Martian. Tasked with studying how light affects sleep, they created an entire awareness campaign around blue light and built an inflatable Martian habitat in the school. They spent a full weekend "on Mars" to simulate a real mission. The project gained widespread attention: they were featured twice on the radio station KDWB, followed on social media by schools around the country and interviewed by the director of the Kennedy Space Center, NASA educational specialists and engineers. Emily Calandrelli, known for Emily's Wonder Lab on Netflix, interviewed them as well. The International Space Station even tweeted about their work.

Because of the momentum and excitement surrounding these projects, the STEM Sisters were invited to present at the national Project Lead The Way Summit, where they shared their research in front of more than 2,000 people. They spent a week in Indianapolis as featured presenters, recording videos for classrooms across the country and meeting Daymond John of Shark Tank along with former Baltimore Ravens player and mathematician John Urschel.

DeLeon's ability to help students believe in themselves has changed lives. Some of his former students now work in aerospace or engineering. Others, including students who once received special education services and struggled in school, found his class transformative enough to pursue college degrees and graduate studies. These outcomes reflect a philosophy rooted in empowerment. "Even if they choose not to go into STEM," he says, "I want them to know they can. Whatever comes their way, they can."

DeLeon carries that belief into every part of his life, from his classroom to his family's adoption story, featured in local media for the compassion and determination behind it. His work shows what being a Stout grad can mean: opening doors, sparking confidence and helping young people see a future they might never have imagined without someone believing in them first.

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