SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Kids in South Sacramento's Meadowview neighborhood enjoyed a day full of STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math] activities at the Sam and Bonnie Pannell Community Center.
The free STEM summit was organized by the Square Root Academy, a local nonprofit that is dedicated to educating underrepresented youth on the fundamentals of STEM.
"It's key that they get the foundation young before life tells them that this isn't something for them,"said Nicholas Haystings, the organization's director. "It's really important that they're encouraged and inspired, so this is something they've grown up with."
"So, once they do get to college, it's familiar," he continued. "They're not intimidated. They're good to go."
Haystings, who grew up in Meadowview, told ABC10 that when he was in college, he noticed a lot of the engineering majors didn't look like him.
"There's not a lot of diversity, not a lot of representation," Haystings added. "From ethnic background or gender, there's a huge inequity gap plaguing the STEM industry these days."
Instead of focusing on the lack of minorities in STEM careers, Haystings said he decided to start the Square Root Academy to reach underserved youth.
"I just realized how important STEM education is and making sure all kids in all of our communities have quality education," added Haystings. "Not just the more affluent scholars [and] the more affluent areas, but our neighborhoods as well."
Anjali Sharma is one of the students at Saturday's event that got to participate in the hands on workshop. She got to learn more about coding, video game design, robotics, and other STEM-based activities.
"I chose STEM because the possibilities are endless," said Sharma. "You can do so much, and you can maybe become something that doesn't exist right now."
To learn about the Square Roots Acamedy's programs, click here.
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