Dear
friend
,
What does ASAS and one of the world’s leading tech innovation companies have in common? Across the country,
Keysight Technologies Foundation has partnered with us to implement interventions that will
help underrepresented students pursue and thrive in STEM careers.
For the past year, students at four ASAS chapters have participated in project-based learning activities that introduce them to STEM-related career paths and help to increase their STEM-related career aspirations. These forward-looking programs are funded in part by a grant from Keysight Technologies Foundation and we aim to
reach 5,000+ students at our chapters in
Atlanta,
Los Angeles,
North Texas, and
Tampa Bay.
This issue, we’re shining a light on a few of the students and mentors who have been impacted by our partnership with Keysight.
Meet Christian—
Three years ago, Christian joined ASAS
when he was in 6th
grade. He was looking for
something to do after
school. “
I
felt
excited to
try something new
.
I
joined [ASAS] and got to know new friends and have
a good tim
e
learning new stuff.
”
Today, the ASAS North Texas student
says
A
ll-Stars
helped him
grow as a leader, gain
confidence, and f
i
nd his passion for STEM
.
We caught up with Christian as he prepares for
his first year of
high school.
“I like STEM because I can use the STEM projects and skills in my future life to get the job I want. I want to become a zoologist
.
A
nd next year in high school,
I’m
hoping to
take a
biology class. All-Stars has helped me already get an idea of what that might look like.”
Christian’s confidence in leading started with STEM, but it
has
extended
into everything he does.
His mentors
say he
was
always
the first to
help
make new All-Stars feel welcome.
And h
e served as a student leader for
his chapter’s first food and clothing drive
, helping with inventory and distribution.
“Because of my experiences in All-St
ars,
I’m
not afraid to step up and be a leader no matter what
it’s
about. I believe in myself more and take the lead on what I know
I’m
good at.”
Christian finished his reflections by sharing his
perspective
on why
organization
s like ASAS are
necessary
:
“I think All
–
Stars is important because it helps kids make new friends and try different stuff that they probably wouldn’t be able to do just sitting at home.”
Meet Victor—
Los Angeles-based
student Victor G. joined After-School All-Stars
five
years ago as a 6th
grade student
when he learned about the
expansiv
e
variety of program
s
he could explore
.
H
e loved the idea of trying many new things at once
,
and All-Stars
provided him with a safe, encouraging space to explore his interests
.
Now,
Victor
is
prepar
ing
for
11th
g
rade
,
and
he
recently
shared
some of
the ways his life
has
been
changed
by
his
ASAS
experience
.
“
W
hen I first
joined ASAS
,
I was excited to meet new people,
”
says Victor, “B
ut
also
nervous about how I would interact with them.
”
With the support of mentors and fellow All-Stars,
Victor
quickly
became
more comfortable and
began
to
fe
el
like he belonged.
He found himself gravitating to
activities
that
allowed him to learn something new every day, including
music,
DJing,
Technics C
lub, and
All-Stars Customs (
a
model car class)
.
“
Most of the things I do
now c
o
me from
my experience with A
ll-
S
tars
.
So,
if I
wasn’t
part of ASAS
with my teachers by my side
,
I
wouldn’t
have learned
and built
so many skills throughout the
years
.”
Technics Club
, a program that
is
based on creating detailed model machines and mechanical toys
with more complex technical functions,
especially
sparked Victor’s interest.
“
I’ve
never done anything like it before.
I really love building something on my own to see first-hand how
mechanics
wor
k
.
My
time
with All-Stars has changed my broader experience at school a lot
,
too
. I
can
socialize
and communicate more easily
with people.
And
t
he area I thin
k
I’
ve
grown mo
st is
decision-making.”
Most recently, Victor built a
fully operational
model
Peterbilt truck
that he plans to
sh
owcase
d
uring his annual family trip this summer.
“
I am Mexican American, and I go to Tijuana a lot — my family is from there
,
and
that
’
s
where I gained
an
interest in trucks.
There
’
s
an
event every
A
ugust
,
and this year, instead of me going
with my
grandparent’s
truck, I
kind of want
to take this one
I’ve
built
and drive it down the street for everyone to see.
”
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