In our latest PLTW Alumni Spotlight episode, Marcus Painter, Director of Social Media and Community Engagement sits down to chat with Sophia Craig, a Sophomore at Kansas State University.

Sophia shares her journey through Project Lead The Way courses in high school, how they shaped her learning and future aspirations, and how the hands-on, career-connected, and project based learning she experienced in high school is already leading her to success at the collegiate level.

This will be an excellent episode for PLTW teachers to share with their students!

Host:

Marcus Painter

Director, Social Media and Community Engagement

Guests:

Sophia Craig

PLTW Alumni, Student at Kansas State University

Recording Date:

June 4th, 2026

Resources:

• PLTW Engineering courses helped Sophia see how incorporating her own style and interests can lead to true innovation: https://www.pltw.org/curriculum/pltw-engineering#civil-engineering-and-architecture
• 2026 marked the tenth year of PLTW at Bishop Miege—hear from more of their alums about what they learned and how they use it today: https://bishopmiege.com/celebrating-a-decade-of-pltw-alumni-share-their-journeys/
• Former PLTW students can boost their proof of readiness by adding a badge to their LinkedIn profile: https://www.pltw.org/blog/showcase-your-pltw-skills-on-linkedin-with-new-profile-badges
• Combining STEM and art expands creativity, engagement, and confidence among students—here’s the approach one school took: https://www.pltw.org/blog/engineering-design-and-development-edd-students-collaborate-with-art-class-peers
• Regional ecosystems like KC STEM Alliance are catalysts for local innovation and economic growth; here’s how: https://www.pltw.org/hubfs/PLTW_Brand/KCSTEMAlliance_CaseStudy.pdf