About Us

(1) Rigorous E-STEM Education

Our E-STEM programs serve all students, however, we focus on those who live in communities with schools that are underfunded and de-prioritized. Our rigorous world-class programs fill a critical gap in the education system and opens doors that typically aren’t accessible or imaginable for many students of minority groups. Our curriculum prepares students for important indicators of college readiness, including college entrance and vocational skill exams, while also fostering talents that can’t be quantified, like curiosity and creativity. We build students’ sense of civic responsibility and global citizenship by teaching through the lens of social justice. All of this manifests in meaningful coursework that illuminates the power of E-STEM, like engineering projects centered on community safety and nutritional health.

(2) Access to Social Capital

A robust network is essential when entering the workforce, especially in tech. It’s important that our students meet and present projects to people who not only work in tech, but look like them and are successful in the careers students are seeking. Through speakers’ series, networking nights and professional skills training, students are introduced to E-STEM professionals who have walked similar paths – offering students the opportunity to cultivate and leverage their networks for professional development and mentorship. Immersed in this environment, students gain a community of peers, allies, and champions who are invested in their future.

(3) Culturally-Responsive Approach

Decades of social science research shows that students – especially underrepresented students of minority groups – retain knowledge better when they can connect to what they learn and apply it to the world around them. “The SMART way” of curriculum and instruction enables students to apply their E-STEM knowledge by designing and building tech solutions for the most prevalent problems facing our communities. This approach is student-centered: we identify and nurture students’ unique cultural strengths to promote their achievement and sense of well-being about their cultural place in the world. Bolstered by our emphasis on social justice, the SMART coursework centers on real social issues; for example, biology assignments that target climate change within students’ neighborhoods. When you combine the lived experience of these students with academic rigor and a supportive environment, meaningful innovation happens.