Making the extraordinary common: Greater Than Tech helps students become future STEM leaders

Diversity can inspire creativity and bring about innovation from different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

Jasmine LeFlore's face lights up with a broad smile when she thinks about sharing some of the success stories of middle and high school students who have been transformed by Greater Than Tech.

I have seen kids become less interested or want nothing to do with it. [STEM] Wow! I can't believe I built a robot, started a business, and now I have this Roblox card. [game]!

Greater Than Tech (GTT) is a San Diego County nonprofit and San Diego Foundation Science and Technology Grant recipient for 2023. GTT is committed to developing the next generation of diverse, innovative technology business leaders while providing equal opportunity to underrepresented youth in the San Diego metropolitan area.

The organization was founded in 2020 by two women of color engineering leaders, Co-Founder and Executive Director Jasmine LeFlore and Co-Founder and Education Director Dr. Brittany Wheeler, who understand the importance of self-efficacy, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) entrepreneurship and social impact.

GTT provides students with hands-on experience in technology and robotics through workshops, demonstration days, development programs and training for all students. These programs help students develop business development, teamwork and leadership skills, building self-confidence and preparing them for careers in STEM fields.

Underrepresented in STEM

According to the Pew Research Center, Black and Latino workers remain underrepresented in the STEM workforce compared to their share of the overall workforce. Women are also underrepresented in certain STEM occupations, such as physical sciences, computers, and engineering.

Black and Latino adults are less likely to earn STEM degrees and have a lower percentage of STEM graduates compared to their share of the adult population. While women make up the majority of undergraduate and graduate degree recipients, they hold smaller shares of degree holders in fields such as engineering and computer science and are also underrepresented in the workforce.

Why Greater Than Tech?

As one of the few women of color in their respective departments and industries, Jasmine LeFlore (left) and Dr. Brittany Wheeler (right) founded GTT after noticing disparities among robotics students and feeling isolated within the industry.

A few years ago, while Jasmine and Brittany were pursuing their MBAs and PhDs in engineering, respectively, they worked part-time as robotics instructors for a middle school girls' team when they noticed that girls of color weren't understanding robotics content as well as other girls.

“We found that girls of color probably don't have parents who know about STEM, they go to schools where they don't have as many opportunities to learn about STEM…It was a new experience for them, so they were a little nervous,” Jasmine said.

We felt like we were not able to keep up with girls from lesser backgrounds and we saw disparities in the classroom.

The program for junior high school girls is a competition between robot teams. However, the competition is difficult because there are many rules. For example, even though the girls work hard, their robots touch the line and are disqualified.

Jasmine says wealthier students often come from backgrounds in robotics and have access to resources that help them excel, which can sometimes leave some students discouraged.

To address this issue, Jasmine and Brittany developed a program that focuses on demonstrations rather than competitions, creating an environment where all students can learn robotics together. They also added a presentation component where students can choose a social impact problem they want to solve and present their robotics business and demonstration, hoping to further impact students and increase their appreciation for learning in STEM.

The Importance of Diversity and Inclusion

Jasmine and Brittany understand the importance of diversity and inclusion.

Diversity isn't necessarily just about ethnicity and gender. It's also about diversity of ideas, neurodiversity, diversity of different factors. And that's really important because that's how you create better innovative outcomes, Jasmin says.

GTT's robotics program provides students with cutting-edge technology and exposes them to topics related to a variety of initiatives, including poverty, world hunger, clean water, etc. Jasmine says that when it comes time for the students to present, they come up with great ideas that can help others.

GTT seeks to reach students who live in the San Diego Promise Zones. These areas in the region, such as Southeast San Diego and Barrio Logan, are culturally diverse but have historically lacked investment from local government and industry. To provide equal opportunities for these students, GTT visits schools and STEM fairs in these areas to introduce students to and engage with STEM programs.

Student Empowerment

GTT provides hands-on experience for all students through workshops, demonstration days, development programs, and training. Jasmine and Brittany know that measuring the success of their STEM programs is crucial, which is why they are consistent in collecting quantitative and qualitative data.

Through the student success stories GTT has seen over the years, Jasmine recalls an inspiring story she saw of the transformation of a student named Jackie.

Jackie came to the GTT program with an interest in STEM and the desire to start her own robotics company. Now, Jackie is studying mechanical engineering at Columbia University, minoring in robotics, and attending entrepreneurship camp. Jasmine says it's clear Jackie is on her path to becoming a future tech entrepreneur.

“It's really amazing… in so many ways. Just seeing someone who is 18 years old and starting out on that path and really going for it… the possibilities are endless,” Jasmine says.

Through stories of students like Jackie’s, Jasmine believes combining STEM education with entrepreneurship can broaden students’ horizons and inspire them to consider how they can pursue a career in STEM fields.

The Future of Greater Than Tech

Jasmin cites the expansion of labs and prototyping as a goal for GTT. Currently, GTT has a number of exploratory programs focused on robotics kits. Ideally, they would like students to design robots from scratch. Another focus area is specialized emerging technologies, giving students more access to cutting-edge technology, such as solar technology. By expanding their programs, GTT can expose students to a wider range of career options in STEM fields.

GTT is seeking more opportunities to collaborate with local organizations, universities and incubators that have advanced technology and are interested in expanding their outreach to middle and high school students.

About the Science and Technology Program

The SDF Science and Technology Program promotes science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education to underrepresented youth. Since 1999, the Science and Technology Program has awarded more than $10.3 million to support San Diego scientists and engineers. The Science and Technology Program is funded in part by the San Diego Foundation's Blasker-Rose-Miah Fund and the Reuben H. Fleet Foundation.

Learn more about the SDF Science and Technology Program.

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