For more than 25 years, Chris DeLeon `00 has built a nationally recognized STEM program at Hudson Middle School. His programs have earned top honors in nationwide 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’. 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.”
That philosophy is shaped by DeLeon’s own journey. Originally from South Texas, he moved to Wisconsin after high school and spent several years working before pursuing college. As a first-generation student and a nontraditional learner, he arrived at UW-Stout without a clear plan. He initially enrolled in industrial technology before discovering that technology education aligned with both his interests and strengths.
DeLeon credits Stout with giving him the practical tools and encouragement he needed as a nontraditional learner. The university’s hands-on approach and mentorship of professors like Ken Welty and Brian McAlister helped him on his educational journey. “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,” he says.
DeLeon’s achievements as a teacher include an extraordinary run of national recognition, both for his students and for his leadership as an educator. His work has earned honors such as the Herb Kohl Excellence in Education Award, the Project Lead The Way Teacher of Excellence Award and recognition from the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. He has also been selected for prestigious Space Academy for Educators programs and grants, further strengthening the real-world experiences he brings back to his classroom.
That recognition is reflected year after year in student success. DeLeon has mentored student teams across multiple competitions, including NASA Explorer Schools, Siemens We Can Change the World, U.S. Army eCybermission and Project Lead The Way challenges. His students have earned repeated state titles, national podium finishes and invitations to present at high-profile events, building a legacy of excellence that spans more than a decade. 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.
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 followed by media and schools around the country and interviewed by the director of the Kennedy Space Center, NASA educational specialists and engineers. The International Space Station even tweeted about their work. Because of the momentum and excitement surrounding these projects, the STEM Sisters were invited to be featured presenters 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.
