Support Lyla's Journey to STEM Leadership

Dear Friends and Family,

I was nominated by my teacher to go to NYLF Pathways to STEM, which is a week-long camp to help kids get better at leadership and explore STEM careers. (STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.) At Pathways to STEM I will join other kids in hands-on activities focused on emotional awareness, communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and goal setting. I will also get to make a robot, explore careers like medicine, engineering, and crime scene investigation, and have fun.

I want to go to Pathways to STEM because I want to be a good leader. I already am a good leader in my classroom because I help my classmates with their work, when somebody is arguing I try to help them figure it out, and I try to be a good example by being kind, following the rules, and being helpful. I want to learn more about STEM because I love finding different ways to solve problems. Math is one of my strongest subjects in school. In school I am learning computer science. We have learned coding, and we used a Makey-Makey, which is a kind of robot that uses circuits to control a computer. In our homeroom we are making solar-powered rovers. Science and computers are important and exciting. I think it will be fun because I want to be a fashion designer and I think that learning about how STEM is used in careers would help me achieve my goal. I want to make a change in the world of fashion because I think that some designers don’t include disabled people. I would use leadership skills to make more accessible clothing, for example, a jacket with velcro instead of a zipper for people who might not have an arm and might not be able to zip up a zipper.

Pathways to STEM lasts a week in July and is held at Bentley University outside of Boston. It will be a fun adventure for me, staying in a dorm room and meeting new people. The cost for the week is $3,245. I wrote a 408-word essay to apply for a partial scholarship. I am pledging $100 of my own money, and my parents will contribute what they can. I would be very, very, very, very thankful if you would please donate some money to my fundraising. I can’t wait to tell you all about it!

Love, Lyla