STEM Education Refugee Students

​Team Lead: Henry Hou
Team member: Lawrence He, Olympia Georgiou, Athena Georgiou, Jonas Shen, Jaden Shen, Angela Shen, Candice Ding, Anya Kalapanda

Project Abstract:

Part 1: Empowerment
ROOTS (Refugee Children’s Organization of Technology and Science) is a youth-led nonprofit in San Diego dedicated to empowering refugee children through free, hands-on STEM education. In response to the global refugee crisis and the challenges faced by resettled youth—such as disrupted education, cultural barriers, and limited resources—ROOTS offers programs that build confidence, critical thinking, and academic skills. Through its annual summer STEM camp, STEM field trips, and a STEM library initiative, ROOTS serves refugee students aged 9–13 from communities including Myanmar, Syria, and East Africa. With an annual budget of just $1,800, ROOTS provides all instruction, materials, and meals free of charge, creating an accessible and supportive learning environment. The program aims to reach up to 100 students annually, fostering future innovators and leaders while offering high school volunteers meaningful leadership opportunities.

Part 2: Progress
As of midterm, the ROOTS STEM Education Program has successfully completed key milestones, including launching the 2025 Summer STEM Camp, which served 18 refugee students aged 9–13 from Myanmar, Syria, and East African nations. Over five days, students participated in hands-on workshops in Chemistry, Engineering, Biology, Math, and Computer Science, led by trained high school instructors and guest university speakers. All materials, meals, and transportation were provided at no cost. Additionally, two STEM Day field trips were conducted, exposing students to real-world applications through visits to local science centers and innovation labs. The STEM Library Initiative has distributed over 100 donated books and established a small physical library at a community tutoring center, with development of the online library underway. The program remains on budget and on track to reach its goal of serving 50–100 students annually. Early feedback shows increased student engagement, confidence, and curiosity in STEM fields, with strong community and volunteer support. Instruction plan can be found at: Refugee 2025 STEM Summer Camp Plan

Part 3: empowerment
The ROOTS STEM Education Program successfully completed its 2025 initiatives, providing free, hands-on STEM learning for refugee youth aged 9–13 from Myanmar, Syria, and East African communities. The program’s flagship Summer STEM Camp engaged 18 students in five days of workshops across Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Engineering, Math, and Computer Science, supported by high school instructors and university guest speakers. All materials, meals, and transportation were provided at no cost.
Complementary activities included two STEM Day field trips to local research labs and science centers, plus the STEM Library Initiative, which distributed over 100 books and launched a physical library at a community tutoring center, with an online library in development. The program remained on budget and achieved its goal of delivering accessible STEM education while fostering leadership skills among volunteers. Early feedback showed strong gains in student engagement, confidence, and curiosity in STEM fields, with enthusiastic community support. ROOTS is positioned to scale toward serving 50–100 students annually.