About
STEM Center USA offers after-school classes that focus on robotics and the use of the PI Robot kit. The program centers much of its activities around robotics-based learning, where students work with the PI Robot, a kit that allows them to build a fairly complex robot at a price of $75. Using the PI Robot gives students hands-on experience rather than being lectured to.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Price: Students pay a yearly membership fee of $1295, plus additional monies for classes that require additional materials. The membership allows students to participate in an unlimited number of classes. Pricing for membership in the STEM Center is $1400–$1800 per year, plus $135 per month.
STEM Center USA was founded by sisters Lavanya Jawaharlal and Melissa Jawaharlal. The sisters raised over $100K on Kickstarter in April 2014 to fund the project, and STEM Center USA has served more than 43,500 migratory, English learner, and underserved youth since 2011 through its federally funded programs focused on educational equity. Melissa is the CEO of STEM Center USA, is an engineer at Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems, studied at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, and earned her Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Southern California (USC). Lavanya is the President of STEM Center USA and is enrolled in the Mechanical Engineering program at the University of California, Berkeley. The organization also brings its curriculum to area schools and has traveled to other countries with its program, and after COVID it has partnered with 10 charter schools to provide curriculum. Their mission is to inspire the next generation by developing a passion for STEM disciplines at an early age, and they believe in hands-on learning and a “guided discovery” method of teaching Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math skills through robotics.
Last updated July 26, 2026.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Price: Students pay a yearly membership fee of $1295, plus additional monies for classes that require additional materials. The membership allows students to participate in an unlimited number of classes. Pricing for membership in the STEM Center is $1400–$1800 per year, plus $135 per month.
STEM Center USA was founded by sisters Lavanya Jawaharlal and Melissa Jawaharlal. The sisters raised over $100K on Kickstarter in April 2014 to fund the project, and STEM Center USA has served more than 43,500 migratory, English learner, and underserved youth since 2011 through its federally funded programs focused on educational equity. Melissa is the CEO of STEM Center USA, is an engineer at Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems, studied at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, and earned her Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Southern California (USC). Lavanya is the President of STEM Center USA and is enrolled in the Mechanical Engineering program at the University of California, Berkeley. The organization also brings its curriculum to area schools and has traveled to other countries with its program, and after COVID it has partnered with 10 charter schools to provide curriculum. Their mission is to inspire the next generation by developing a passion for STEM disciplines at an early age, and they believe in hands-on learning and a “guided discovery” method of teaching Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math skills through robotics.
Last updated July 26, 2026.
Is this your business? There is no cost, but you will be asked to sign up or log in.