It was a Saturday morning in March and the kids were glued to their screens looking at cartoons. So what else is new?<\/p>\n
Actually, everything.<\/p>\n
These weren\u2019t just any kids. They were 16 middle-school \u201cSTEAM:CODERS\u201d hard at work in University of La Verne\u2019s Founders Hall. And they weren\u2019t just watching old cartoons, they were building their own animation with help from volunteer computer science majors.<\/p>\n
Tossing around terms like \u201cParameters,\u201d \u201cGlobal or Local Variables,\u201d \u201cStrings,\u201d and \u201cBinary Codes,\u201d and reeling off programming languages like \u201cScratch,\u201d \u201cSublime,\u201d \u201cJavascript,\u201d and \u201cRuby,\u201d the 10-13 year olds tackled the class like pros.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese kids are crazy smart!\u201d said instructor Rekieya Ward, whose credentials include an industrial engineering degree from USC and a full-time position with Oracle.<\/p>\n
STEAM:CODERS is the brainchild of Raymond Ealy, a former banker with a passion for creating STEAM opportunities \u2013 science, technology, engineering, art, and math — for underserved young people. In July 2014, Ealy started the STEAM:CODERS with a series of one-day workshops at Polytechnic School in Pasadena. Later that fall, the first eight-week class began Pasadena\u2019s La Salle High School.<\/p>\n
He and his wife and collaborator, Charmayne, soon established partnerships with Harvey Mudd College, Pasadena City College, Caltech and others, who offered the use of their computer labs.<\/p>\n
University of La Verne hosted its first set of classes in fall of 2016 and is halfway through the second series this spring, welcoming middle-schoolers from Pomona Unified and surrounding districts.<\/p>\n
STEAM:CODERS, whose motto is \u201cOpportunity + Imagination = Innovation\u201d is funded by foundation and individual donors as well as small fees from the school districts served, including Pasadena, Inglewood, and Long Beach.<\/p>\n
Ealy\u2019s goal is clear, \u201cI want to provide our students with access to STEAM careers –particularly students of color.\u201d<\/p>\n
The STEAM fields have been historically dominated by white males, and even the introduction of arts as integral to STEM learning — thus STEAM \u2013 has yet to entice equal numbers of women, African-American, or Latino students.<\/p>\n
Over 2,100 students from lower income districts around the Southland have taken part in STEAM:CODERS and the demand from districts continues to grow. The curriculum includes classes not only in animation, but also coding, graphic and web design, music, and robotics. The kids also get field trips provided by corporate partners to places like California Science Center, Google LA, Warner Bros., and Apple Stores, where they can see STEAM skills at work up close.<\/p>\n
But, said Ealy, that\u2019s not all.<\/p>\n
\u201cSTEAM:CODERS classes teach logic, critical thinking, and problem solving,\u201d he said. \u201cThey also help build students\u2019 confidence with public speaking since they have to present to their classmates.\u201d<\/p>\n
With nearly a half-dozen college and university partners, Ealy\u2019s other motivation is clear.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen these students and their parents come to the classes on a college campus it gives them an introduction to the college environment,\u201d he said. \u201cFor first-generation students, this is critical. They may not be conscious of the fact, but this is the first official college tour for students and most of the parents, too.\u201c<\/p>\n
At the University of La Verne, computer science undergraduates Arnold Mejia, Ruben Viera, Edwin Escobar, Alondra Olvera, and Andrew Trulin are providing support for instructor Ward.<\/p>\n
On March 18, Viera worked the room with a giant smile, helping, encouraging, questioning.<\/p>\n
\u201cHold on,\u201d he called out to one eager 12-year-old waving his hand wildly, \u201cthere\u2019s only one of me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLots of these kids don\u2019t have these resources in school,\u201d said Escobar,\u201d so I know how much it means to them. They are really focused.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne group of boys blew my mind,\u201d exclaimed Olvera. \u201cTheir creativity is so cool!\u201d<\/p>\n
So do these budding computer animators want to become web technology professionals?<\/p>\n
\u201cNot really,\u201d said 10-year-old Valeria Gonzalez. \u201cIt\u2019s really fun, but I want to be a doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n
There are several other aspiring doctors in the class, including Nigel Kabiro, 10, and his 13-year-old sister Symah. Alberto Torres, 12, has his heart set on being a dentist. Clearly Ealy\u2019s goal of STEAM access and enthusiasm is paying off.<\/p>\n
For Alan Contreras, 11, \u201cIt\u2019s a good way to spend a Saturday. You\u2019re using electronics but in a good way.\u201d He wants to study to be an engineer.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s exciting. Computer science is fascinating,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
For these young students, it is clearly full STEAM ahead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
STEAM:CODERS is the brainchild of Raymond Ealy, a former banker with a passion for creating STEAM opportunities for underserved young people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":3497,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1549,283,4814],"tags":[344,327,302],"class_list":["post-484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-events","category-students","category-laverne-edu-news-university-campus-life","tag-engagement","tag-nsd","tag-stem","ulv_author-barbara-goen","ulv_author-university-of-la-verne","legacy_tags-community-engagement","legacy_tags-science","legacy_tags-stem"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n