We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rosa Aristy. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rosa below.

Rosa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a time you helped a customer really get an amazing result through their work with you.

We welcomed Nick to Bridges to Science programs six years ago when he was still in 8th grade. Although new to programming and robotics, he challenged himself by joining our robotics program to learn Python, computer vision, and robotics concepts. This rigorous, hands-on curriculum presented a significant learning curve, requiring dedication and perseverance.

Nick demonstrated a remarkable “can-do” attitude, collaborating with others and staying committed to the program. He put in the hard work and persevered.

By the end, Nick successfully programmed a robotic autonomous car in Python to self-navigate a racecourse. In doing so, he demonstrated his mastery of the material and confidence, motivating him to further engage with STEM.

Before long, Nick became a leader and mentor as one of our Coding Club teaching assistants. He was eager to “pay it forward” and make STEM education accessible to other students in our community. Nick’s commitment to sharing his knowledge continued as he joined our Senior Youth Ambassador team, where he mentored younger students and developed innovative teaching methods, like engaging debugging exercises, to enhance our students’ learning experience.

Nick’s journey exemplifies the power of STEM education to not only build technical skills, but also cultivate leadership and mentorship. He was awarded the Bridges to Science 2024 Project Pioneer Award. Furthermore, Nick’s ability to balance his demanding coursework, part-time job, pilot certification pursuits, Civil Air Patrol involvement, family farm duties, and volunteering at Bridges to Science speaks volumes about his strong work ethic, time management skills, and leadership abilities – qualities that were undoubtedly nurtured and strengthened through his experience with our program. Nick now holds an Associate of Science degree from Lone Star College and a pilot’s license. This fall, he plans to attend a highly regarded marine engineering program on a generous scholarship. His story is a testament to the power of hands-on STEM education and the lasting positive impact it can have on a young person’s life.

Rosa, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Rosa Inés Aristy. When I heard that students in our homeschool co-op were requesting classes in programming and robotics, I noticed the glaring access gap that certain communities face when pursuing STEM pathways. Most of the adults, myself included, didn’t feel equipped to lead such technical classes, and many students lacked the necessary tools to learn programming. I knew I had to do something. That’s when I started the Katy Math Circle to strengthen our students’ math foundations and prepare them for future STEM classes.

It quickly became clear that the community’s need for accessible STEM programs extended far beyond the scope of our once-a-week math circle. We needed something more, something year-round. So, Bridges to Science was born. Our mission: to provide STEM programs for students in grades 5-12 from communities with limited access.

Our core principle is nurturing students’ natural curiosity and love of learning. We do this by grounding all our programs in hands-on, project-based curricula. We also believe strongly in the power of role models. We strive to connect students with STEM professionals and role models, helping them envision a future for themselves in STEM.

Our impact goes beyond just education. Our inquiry-based, project-oriented coursework cultivates curiosity, confidence, and a sense of community. We believe in nurturing the whole child – body, heart, and mind – and that’s what we strive to do at Bridges to Science.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

We decided to launch our non-profit in December 2019, and officially started in February 2020, unaware of what was just around the corner. Our initial plan was to gather a group of our math circle students to run in-person math camps for kids at a local trailer park community where our family had been volunteering for years. Like so many others organizations, March 2020 forced us to quickly adapt. Our in-person camp plans were obviously not an option anymore.

We moved our robotics program online and by the fall of 2020, we were running a virtual coding club, a math circle, and workshops. It was a learning process. We worked hard to make the online experience engaging, incorporating lots of hands-on activities. We even started “Cocoa and Coding” family sessions to get parents involved. We also talked a lot with the community we were serving, getting their feedback on how to make the sessions more fun. When it was possible and safe, we even organized some in-person meetups and programming at local parks. It wasn’t easy, but we learned to be flexible and find creative ways to keep our programs running and support the kids.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

When we first started, we offered STEM clubs to groups of about 25 students. We quickly realized, though, that the demand was far greater than we could meet this way. Families and entire communities from across Houston were reaching out, eager for access to our programs. This presented an opportunity. We knew we had to pivot to a larger-scale approach. So, we shifted our focus from small clubs to larger events that could engage entire families and communities. This led to the creation of our signature event, the Houston Science Festival, held during Hispanic Heritage Month. Now, we’re able to serve over 450 participants and partner with 25 exhibitors, including institutions like the Houston Museum of Natural Science and the Children’s Museum Houston. This pivot allowed us to expand our reach and impact, bringing STEM education to a much wider audience.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bridgestoscience.org
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/bridgestoscience
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bridgestoscience
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/67196808/admin/dashboard/
• Twitter: https://x.com/bridges2science
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUue8Y_s3TCV9QAL-cIz-3A
• Other: https://www.houstonsciencefestival.org
  https://instagram.com/houstonsciencefestival