Cohort 8: STEM
Cohort 8’s mission was to inspire Tulsa-area elementary students to engage in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). According to a 2016 op-ed by YPI alumna Layla Mortadha, “Reflecting on our elementary school experiences, we saw a correlation between those of us who had science and math enrichment and those of us engaged in STEM. We shared a mutual appreciation for the STEM opportunities our schools provided us, but quickly realized this was not a universal experience... Our goal is to create a program for elementary school students that will spark a lifelong interest in the STEM subjects.”
To achieve this, Cohort 8 created Spark Karts, a collection of 10 mobile carts that are packed full of STEM enrichment resources. Each cart has a unique theme that covers different educational topics based on Oklahoma’s standard curriculum for first grade science and math. According to the cohort’s vision, the carts would be available for teachers to check out of the school’s library to use to expand a lesson plan or show a real world application to a STEM concept.
Cohort 8 worked closely with the Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance (TRSA), led by Xan Black, to develop the concept for the Spark Karts and implement them in schools. The students regularly attended TRSA board meetings, while Xan attended cohort meetings. Cohort 8 alumna Cybil Seneker reflected on the value of the partnership with TRSA: “Partnering with TRSA helped us a lot. They had already been working on this topic and had more knowledge and connections. By working with them, we were able to pick up speed and have a clear direction with a narrow scope and focus.” Another alumna, Faith Nichols, reflected on Xan’s role: “It meant so much to have an adult who believed in us, guided us, and really wanted to hear our feedback.”
In an interview, Xan Black also reflected on her experience of the partnership: “When I met the students for the first time, I remember being amazed that they were so empowered. They knew what they wanted to do and had great ideas. They were not playing around - very focused and driven. They inspired and pushed me, not the other way around.”
In coordination with TPS Library staff, the students selected 10 schools based on their socioeconomic makeup to receive the first Spark Karts. The first launch took place at Zarrow International Elementary School. It was well received by the school principal and staff, as well as local media. The cohort collected data on the use of the Karts for continual improvement and enhancements.
TRSA became the permanent home for the cohort’s project upon the students’ graduation. TRSA oversaw the Spark Karts’ rotation among Tulsa-area for the 2017-18 school year, and ultimately chose to permanently gift the Karts to rural schools in need of STEM labs.
The Spark Kart story did not end there, however. TRSA retained its connection to Cohort 8 students, and provided internships to several YPI alumni to continue to support the Spark Karts mission. These interns helped to develop TRSA’s STEM RX program, which repurposed Spark Karts materials to provide fun STEM themed games and activities to children receiving medical care in the Tulsa area. The program operated for several years at St. Francis Hospital and the Cancer Treatment Center for America.
TRSA’s popular “STEM in a bag” program became another important offshoot of the Spark Karts concept. Similarly to STEM RX, the program packaged STEM activities in bagged kits that could be easily distributed in schools. The program exploded during COVID, while students had reduced access to hands-on learning experiences. In total TRSA distributed over 100,000 STEM kits during the pandemic, serving 57 school districts. Today, the STEM in a bag program continues to be popular, and provides STEM kits free of charge to educators and families.
In an interview, Dr. Emily Mortimer, V.P. of Ecosystems at TRSA, reflects on the partnership with Cohort 8: “[The students] were able to really think deeply about a need. They were able to develop the first iteration of an idea that was really valuable. Without YPI, we never would have had STEM in a bag.”
According to Dr. Mortimer, “YPI was the start of bringing more structured youth voice into the organization.” Shortly after the experience with Cohort 8, TRSA decided to formalize youth participation on its board.
Xan Black reflects on this decision: “[The cohort] helped me to understand that I had not fully leveraged the ability, leadership and strengths of students. It was important that we not only ask students to do specific things but that we actually invite them to lead. We need to have them at the table, not ask them later...”
“You’ve got to work with [the students] to understand what they’re truly capable of. I realized that they could totally do my job - they could lead the whole thing! Just think of what we could do in the world with thousands of kids like this...”
“My relationship with the students continues to this day. On Linkedin I still see them succeeding, moving and shaking. The fire hasn’t died in them whatsoever.”