Near-Peer University Mentors Inspire Local Boys & Girls Club Kids in Texas
“I want to help.” Before his mechanical engineering professor could finish asking for a lead volunteer, first-year student Ryan Mackereth had already raised his hand.
Even though he was only an apprentice on the Texas A&M Formula SAE Electric Racing team, Ryan still jumped at the chance to take the lead.
To give himself a head start on the STEM project with the Boys & Girls Club of Brazos Valley, Ryan took a JetToy classroom kit with him when he went home for his birthday. That way, he could build one ahead of time, anticipate any questions, and familiarize himself with the SAE A World In Motion® (AWIM®) JetToy STEM curriculum.
Once back on campus, he worked closely with members of the A&M FSAE Electric team to coordinate logistics and volunteer scheduling for the month-long STEM program—all while juggling a grueling academic schedule packed with 19 credit hours.
It didn’t take long for the group at the Boys & Girls Club to connect with their near-peer university mentors.
On the very first day, Ryan arrived super early so he could get everything set up. Within two minutes, 15 kids were in the room eagerly asking questions about the activity. By the end of that first session, they were already looking forward to the next day “You’ll be back tomorrow, right?” they anxiously wondered.
“When choosing Club members to participate in the STEM program with TAMU student volunteers, we intentionally chose members who didn’t have an interest in science or math. The goal was to spark an interest by providing a fun experience in science. TAMU students led activities during Club members normal gym time that they would now miss. The selected members were reluctant to learn about STEM, but once they participated, they didn’t want to leave and looked forward to every session! Some of the kids now have a STEM interest that they didn’t have before!”
Fatima Burgueño
Director of Programs and Latino Outreach
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Brazos Valley.
The young learners also quickly left a lasting impression on the volunteers. Like the time one of the student teams decided to create a design that would both move forward and spin at the same time. Even as engineering majors, that was something Ryan and his classmates hadn’t considered.
“You can see our students getting motivated. They were totally into it. They can’t help but be that way. They understand that the potential influence they have as mentors is a big responsibility, and they’re up to the challenge,” said Ravi Thyagarajan, Professor of Practice in Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M, and Faculty Advisor for the FSAE Electric Racing team.
Having time away as volunteers also allowed their A&M racing team to socialize and bond—something they can’t do always do when they’re back on campus singularly focused on designing and building their Formula SAE competition vehicle.
Before each session, they would often find themselves chatting back and forth about the best way to explain a complicated STEM concept on a more fundamental level, which also helped form new connections with their own classmates.
Based on their success, Ryan and the A&M racing team are planning to expand their community-based STEM outreach to another elementary school, and participate again in the SAE LearnTwiceTM near-peer mentoring program. By volunteering through LearnTwice, university teams like A&M can not only give back to their community but also earn a stipend to put towards their SAE University Programs competition build.
It should probably come as no surprise, but Ryan is taking the lead again on the next project.
