By Guadi Rabino
Assistant Managing Editor
In an attempt to combat the lack of STEM (an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) programs in underprivileged cities throughout the South Bay, sophomores Tamara Tran and Ally Kennedy begin the STEM for Kids club.
Tran and Kennedy created STEM for Kids as a way to raise funds to help expose disadvantaged kids to the various opportunities that lie within STEM programs. They plan on achieving this through various experiments and activities.
Photo: Sophomore Ally Kennedy and Sophomore Tamara Tran introduce their club Stem for Kids.
“I decided to start this club is to give other children the same opportunities that I have had through the MBUSD school district such as the variety of math and science classes offered,” Tran said. “Through Mira Costa High School, students are able to discover their passions and pursue a career of their choice. I hope that this club will give more students the same chance to become interested in STEM and maybe even follow a career path in this field in their future.”
Their main goal is not only to expose kids to STEM programs but also hopefully spark an interest in future career paths that these children would not otherwise be exposed to, Tran said. The club decided to begin targeting groups of small and local schools before conquering more populated schools in the bigger cities in the South Bay.
“Since the club is so new, we haven’t chosen a specific group of kids yet, but we are really considering students at local schools such as Richstone,” Tran said. “I want to focus on helping our community prior helping on a worldwide scale. I really hope to someday expand the club before an organization that reaches out to kids worldwide”
Link: Read about the best STEM program for kids in the Los Angeles area.
In the meetings, Tran and Kennedy plan on organizing various fundraisers to begin gathering money to fund the experiments and activities they plan on conducting at these various schools such as Richstone. Once enough money is gathered, they plan on visiting these schools in order to interact with the children through these activities.
“My stem class in 7th grade was one of the most fun things I’ve ever been a part of. Ms. Cooke was an amazing teacher and I was always excited for class,” Kennedy said. “I love the idea of instilling the same sense of excitement and fun that I got from my STEM class to other kids”
Tran and Kennedy are extremely passionate about exposing children to these various programs due to her personal interest in the field of science. Tran said she wants to be the person to change these kids’ lack of opportunities simply due to their economic status.
“We have the ability to possibly change kids’ lives for the better, inspiring those who are passionate about this field and encouraging this future generation of kids to attain the careers they want,” Tran said. “Even though this club is fairly new we are very passionate about it and we hope we can expand quickly. We encourage everyone to join.”
In the future, Tran hopes to expand to a larger scale, possibly helping kids from all over the state. She also hopes to aid in the establishing of new departments at these schools that promote STEM programs.
Link: Read more about the benefits of STEM education.
“I hope that this club will be successful in working with as many kids as possible in local neighborhoods and teaching them to love STEM,” Tran said.” In the future, if possible, I could see the club growing to apply to as many kids as possible, beyond the range of schools in the near area. It would also be amazing if there was enough funding to help upstart programs or departments at these schools that would allow kids to take STEM classes.”
Leave a Reply