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The TJ Partnership Fund recently received the largest individual gift in the foundation's history -
a $125,000 commitment from Vlad Tenev '04, the founder and CEO of Robinhood.
Hear about Vlad's reasoning for supporting America's premier secondary STEM school,
and how his TJ experience inspired his tremendous success!
STEM jobs are the jobs of the future... and TJHSST is a leader in STEM education.
Since 1985, the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST or just “TJ”) has drawn many of the finest and most motivated students from across Northern Virginia to engage with a highly rigorous, research-focused curriculum preparing them to serve as tomorrow’s leaders in science, technology, math, and engineering (“STEM”) as well as in other STEM-adjacent areas.
For as long as high schools have been ranked, TJ has maintained a consistent presence at the top of those rankings thanks to the strength of its students, its world-class faculty, and its university-level STEM spaces. It is the singular mission of the TJ Partnership Fund (TJPF) to support the educational programs of TJ and to connect its unparalleled alumni network with each other and with its students – and we’re very proud of all of the work that we do each year. And unlike many of the schools that appear in those elite rankings, TJHSST is a full-service high school with robust extracurricular programs in athletics, the arts, and the humanities.
The pace of change in technology is seemingly accelerating every year, and TJ’s course offerings rise to meet that challenge. No other high school in America offers both a remarkable diversity of TJ’s STEM curriculum - to include advanced courses in Quantum Physics, Organic Chemistry, Artificial Intelligence, and Complex Analysis - and unparalleled access to advanced instrumentation in our 13 university-level research spaces.
TJ students use TJPF-funded instruments in core science and Design & Tech classes, take semester elective courses, and go on to conduct independent research in one or more of TJ’s 13 advanced labs, many outfitted with equipment beyond what's found at top universities.
Student access to these advanced instruments secured through Partnership Fund grants is a large part of what makes the TJ education unique - not just in America but worldwide. Graduates are supremely prepared for the college experience and for their early careers through TJ's research-focused curriculum.
TJPF also funds STEM-focused professional development for TJ’s renowned faculty and staff. Each year, educators attend the NCSSS Conference to exchange best practices with peers from leading STEM schools, strengthening not only TJ but STEM education nationwide. Your support makes it all possible.
Through TJPF grants, TJ students lead events that inspire the next generation in STEM. Nearly every STEM club participates in Techstravaganza, an annual event hosted by TWIST that draws nearly 4,000 young students for hands-on science demos.
Students also founded HackTJ, one of the first and most prestigious high school hackathons in the U.S., drawing coders from across the DC area. InnovateTJ, run by LaunchX, is a one-day pitch competition where students turn ideas into business solutions, encouraging real-world innovation and entrepreneurship.
Join us in Supporting TJ's Educational Mission!