Citizens Bank, Trib Total Media present 2026 Champions in Action award to STEM Coding Lab
- SCL Team
- Jul 22
- 2 min read
The Champions in Action award, given twice a year, targets nonprofits with less than $5 million in revenue that align with a specific initiative. This round, the social topic was AI readiness and organizational capacity.
Machiko highlighted the gap between interest in AI and formal strategy to do so in nonprofits as a driving force of this award’s theme.
Since 2017, STEM Coding Lab has been providing students in kindergarten through eighth grade in underserved communities access to and exposure to computer science, AI and other STEM resources. According to STEM Coding Lab CEO Melissa Fuller, though they began teaching only 15 kids, the coding lab has built its programs to serve more than 4,500 youths in Allegheny County.
The award — in part ceremonially offered by last November’s recipient Lauren Riegelnegg of Pennsylvania Women Work — is the first in its history, Fuller said.
“Being recognized as a Champion in Action validates the work we’re doing as good work,” Fuller said.
STEM Coding Lab sends groups of instructors into schools and community centers where more than 70% are Title I K-8 students, during the school year and through summer programs.
“Every child deserves the opportunity to discover their potential, regardless of their background or ZIP code. STEM Coding Lab is opening doors for thousands of young people by bringing coding, computer science and hands-on STEM education directly into underserved schools and communities,” said Trib Total Media President and CEO Jennifer Bertetto.
The award will directly support instructors’ curriculum to set students up not only for economic mobility in the future workforce, but also teach them how to think critically about the ethics of AI use through computer science and coding.
After the check presentation, students who are part of the STEM Coding Lab’s Tech Arcade summer program continued their work building model amusement park rides and attractions. The models replicate Kennywood rides, including the Pirate Ship, a spinning ride and a stunt rollercoaster.
The group of 20 students between ages 7 and 10, with the help of Citizens’ volunteers, spent their time equipping their plastic straw creations with LED lights and motors through Hummingbird battery packs and online coding websites.
“I hope we’ve got kiddos that are able to problem solve, and think critically and be able to think about computational design thinking,” Fuller said, “because those are all foundational skills [they’re] gonna need in the future.”