The Explorers Program is a college, career and life readiness program that enables Newark-area high school students to build essential skills and self-confidence through a curriculum that draws upon the Museum’s unique collections, resources and staff. Every year, 40 students from diverse backgrounds learn about their passions and strengths, and develop new skills as public speakers, teachers, researchers and leaders. Students are also paid for their participation in the Program. Explorers rotate through internships in different areas of the Museum and lead student-designed projects to gain real-life experience in a variety of jobs and fields of study.In addition, students attend workshops focused on leadership training, public speaking, team-building, and museum-based art and science projects that promote STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) learning. Group trips to other institutions of culture and learning are another important part of the Explorers experience. Over their three to four-year tenure in the Program, participants must commit to spending six after-school hours per week in the program during the school year, in addition to 30 hours of community service per year, and 25 hours per week each summer.Since the Program began 22 years ago, more than 270 students have graduated from the Explorers Program. Over the past 10 years, 100% of students graduating from the Program attended institutions of higher education. In the summer of 2017, the Program began accepting students in their freshman year of high school.