Ronda McCarthy has over 12 years experience in the classroom, most recently teaching middle school science at St. Theresa Catholic School in Des Moines, Iowa. Ronda has attended Honeywell Educator at Space Academy, Embedded Teacher Program through Carthage College, Mickelson Exxonmobil Teacher Academy, Set Sail STEM Educator Training at USNA, STEM Teacher Extern Programs, Teacher Air Camp, Space Educator Explorers Conference and the 37th Annual Space Symposium.
Ronda has won many grants including the STEM Best Program Award and was honored as the STEM Teacher of the Year by the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council for the South Central Region in 2020. Ronda has earned her Master’s in Education with endorsements in Science, Mathematics, English as a Second language, Reading and will earn her STEM teaching credential in the summer of 2022. Ronda has presented at educational conferences all over the country and has been featured in NSTA Reports as a STEM Lead Teacher. Ronda also serves in many capacities in STEM Leadership in the State of Iowa including on the Iowa Regional STEM Advisory Council and is a Lead Teacher for her middle school team.
Ronda’s passion for bringing STEM into classrooms drives her to mentor teachers and pre-service teachers throughout the state. Ronda’s belief is that every student can achieve their dreams, no matter where they came from, and that a teacher can make all the difference by believing in their students even before they believe in themselves.
