About Shelly

Shelly VanderMeulen, MSW, is the Career Exploration Specialist for the Northwestern Lower MiSTEM Network.  Shelly helps to connect education with the workforce.  This is done by constantly looking for connections that create learning and growth for students, school staff, and the workforce.  

Shelly grew up with both parents working in education so was “taught” lessons in every situation.   After she became a social worker, she experienced various roles along the way through foster care, in-home intervention, counseling, program development, and more, where she was able to build on her parents’ work by using “teachable moments” to help others.  Ultimately, Shelly came to career exploration.  Her passion became helping others to find what they were passionate about.  Somewhere along this path, Shelly also fell in love with science.  Just like with people, Shelly noticed that there were connections everywhere in science and that making different connections could have very different results.  Now, Shelly combines her love for helping people with her curiosity of science by helping counselors, teachers, and the workforce connect students to various career possibilities in STEM.