The Building Leaders for Advancing Science and Technology (BLAST) program offers an exciting, on-campus summer experience designed to increase student interest and curiosity in STEM. BLAST provides a free, residential opportunity to rising 9th and 10th grade students with at least a C+ grade average and a desire to explore STEM opportunities. Faculty members lead hands-on activities and demonstrations that seek to motivate and inspire students for STEM studies and careers. The program is a partnership between the Virginia Space Grant Consortium, Old Dominion University, the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech and the Commonwealth of Virginia. BLAST was funded by the General Assembly for the purpose of enriching students that have few STEM opportunities and/or students that do not realize their capabilities in the STEM field.