K-12 Space & STEAM Education Program

K-12 STEAM education

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

I have a very unique personal and professional understanding of K-12 STEAM education. I'm a master food preserver, Apple Distinguished Educator and White House Champion of Change Educator. Youth are more inspired to study STEM/STEAM related fields when they see professionals who look like them. I enjoy serving as a mentor to historically underrepresented youth, especially black girls. My grandmother, Mrs. Ethel L. Lee, helped build NASA Space Shuttles: Enterprise, Columbia, Atlantis, Challenger and Endeavor. The only Black woman on her team, Space Shuttle Ethel, understood the importance of educating girls about aerospace and spacecraft design. Her work inspired me to develop and implement the first South LA K-12 AP Computer Science Pathway at Dorsey High School. This resulted in 2019 and 2020 College Board AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award recognition for closing the gender gap and engaging more female students in AP Computer Science Principles coursework.

In addition to robotics and computer science, the K-12 Space & STEAM Education program will have a major focus on aerospace careers and food science. This college and career based programming will open the minds of K-12 students and teachers to explore NASA’s Artemus campaign mission to learn how to live and work on anther world as they prepare for human missions to Mars. America is in a "New Space Race" with China. Our goal is to expose historically underrepresented Black, Hispanic and female K-12 students to "out of this world" STEAM career opportunities in the aerospace and food science industries. According to the 2024 Black Students and STEM Report, African American students across the country have the aptitude for careers in science, technology, engineering and math, but they do not pursue them because they are most likely not exposed to the industry and mentorship. For the first time in 50 years America is planning to land astronauts on the moon again via NASA’s Artemis moon-landing program. Our K-12 Space & STEAM education program will lead the charge in exposing Black, Hispanic and female K-12 students to aerospace and food science careers via innovative project based learning and curriculum development, Since 2007 Mother Of Many has successfully exposed STEM industry mentorship and internship opportunities. Participating students will participate in this journey to land the first woman and first person of color astronaut on the Moon.

Our program will launch LA County's first K-12 Space program focused on aerospace and food science industries. The college and career pathway program can be adopted by large and small school districts throughout Los Angeles County. The LA County workforce will include more aerospace college graduates plus the much needed exposure for Black, Hispanic and females to pursue careers in space food science and STEAM fields. Success also includes opportunity partnerships with Space X and Blue Origin. We will partner with the Columbia Memorial Space Center as part of the center's exhibits and expansion project that will house the refurbished space shuttle Inspiration. This successful work will shine the light on African American constituents in LA County who made historical contributions to the aerospace industry and NASA's space shuttle program in Downey, CA. Rockwell's mock-up shuttle design won the NASA contract. The K-12 Space & STEAM will be an "inspiration" for generations.

Pre and post surveys will be used to measure the success of the program. For partnership schools, quizzes will be given to test student knowledge of the subject. Food Science contest and fairs.