Building STEPS was started in 1995 when Debra Hettleman’s brother-in-law Matthew Weinberg, a scientific consultant in DC, wanted to boost diversity in his workplace. He went into the DC school system with the goal of starting a program where he could bring underrepresented students to intern at his business, giving them a taste of what a STEM career can entail. They’d learn and get excited about the field, and he would help them get into college with the hopes that they would work in the sciences.