Polestar Brings Learning Excitement to Students in Paterson, New Jersey
“Is that a Polestar?!” Students shouted as three Polestar vehicles packed with holiday gifts approached Oasis – A Haven for Women and Children in Paterson, New Jersey.
Nothing says the holiday season like the gift of giving back. This past fall, Polestar Cars and Oasis collaborated with the SAE Foundation to spark STEM curiosity and prepare students for an electrified future. Each Friday, 5th-6th-grade students and their teachers participated in hands-on learning through the A World In Motion® (AWIM®) Electric Vehicle (EV) Afterschool Challenge. A culminating competition, with students racing the remote-controlled EVs that they built and decorated over the previous Friday sessions was part of a holiday celebration that provided a special opportunity to give back to the local community.
The students rallied together cheering each other on as they watched their cars race down the runway. “Can we go again?!” said some of the students. By the end of the event, even the previously quiet and reserved students began to warm up and have fun. Students worked with their peers while having fun, building knowledge, and gaining a new level of confidence through newly discovered skills.
“The entire team and I are thrilled with the outcomes of this AWIM learning experience and the extra fun of the holiday event was the icing on the cake. The kids were incredibly engaged in learning every week throughout the program. It would not have been possible without the support and partnership of Polestar and the SAE Foundation. Our goal was to deliver project-based STEM education and introduce the skills and tools of the electrified future to these kids that don’t have these types of activities in their school. Seeing all the students smiling and truly enjoying learning reflects the success of this pilot program and we look forward to future collaboration,” said Megan McLaughlin, Afterschool Coordinator at Oasis. 
Amna Qureshi, Internal Communication at Polestar said, “We are happy and honored to be one of the first companies to roll out this AWIM Afterschool EV Challenge with the SAE Foundation. It made more of an impact than we could have imagined, and it aligns so beautifully with our mission of promoting sustainable mobility. Having the opportunity to do this was incredible and we cannot thank SAE enough for their support.”
With a goal of growing STEM outreach to reach marginalized populations, Polestar Cars has committed additional support for 2023 to advance STEM education in partnership with the SAE Foundation. This funding will support the ongoing AWIM programming at Oasis, A Haven for Women and Children, and expansion to South Carolina, California, and Montreal, Canada. The SAE Foundation is grateful for the continued support through this partnership to deliver life-changing learning experiences and ensure every student has access to high-quality STEM education.