Melissa Jawaharlal is the CEO and co-founder of STEM Center USA, a K-12 hands-on STEM education company that inspires the next generation of STEM leaders. Melissa is passionate about promoting creativity and critical thinking through an experiential education centered on robotics, coding, and making. STEM Center USA operates two locations in Southern California and also reaches students virtually across the United States. Melissa and her sister Lavanya co-authored “The Technical Alphabet” – an ABC book that introduces early learners to basic technology terms and created an Arduino-based robot which they launched and successfully crowdfunded on Kickstarter. 

The Jawa Sisters were recognized for their work in STEM education by President Joe Biden, featured on ABC’s “Shark Tank”, and shared the “Roots of STEM Education” at TEDxCPP. Melissa graduated from University of Southern California on a full merit-based scholarship with her BS in mechanical engineering. She is currently an MBA Candidate at the Claremont Graduate University with the Doris Drucker Fellowship for Women Leaders. Prior to STEM Center USA, Melissa worked as an engineer for Raytheon, served as a research assistant at the USC Information Sciences Institute (ISI), and was an academic contractor for the US Air Force. Melissa has also taught introduction to mechanical engineering at Cal Poly Pomona and is a Master Teacher for the Femineer program which aims to inspire young women. In her spare time, Melissa enjoys trail running, traveling, and reading.