Conectados al Sur - Breakfast of Ideas
Latino STEM Alliance Boston
Friday, March 4, 2016, 9:00 am - 10:30 am
[NEW LOCATION] Harvard Law School campus
Wasserstein Hall, Room 3019
According to the Pew Research Center, “the Latino population, already the United States’ largest minority group, will triple in size and will account for most of the nation’s population growth from 2005 through 2050. Hispanics will make up 29% of the U.S. population in 2050, compared with 14% in 2005.” Only 25% of Latino students are reaching Math proficiency and higher on MCAS tests compared to 74% for Asian and 58% for non-Latino white students, and only 13% of Latino students are reaching proficiency or higher for the Science, Technology and Engineering test
After the success of our First Breakfast of Ideas, we want our participants to discover how Latino STEM Alliance,a nonprofit organization, can meet this challenge and partner with schools, private industries, community groups, and academia to bring STEM to underserved youth who would otherwise not have such an opportunity.
The Breakfast of Ideas seeks to gather both people from Latin American and individuals who have a sincere interest in Latin American affairs revolving around issues of children and youth, technology, Internet and social media, education technology, and new applications for social changes.
About Digitally Connected and Conectados al Sur
Digitally Connected and the sub-initiative Conectados al Sur for the Latin American and Caribbean regions is a collaborative initiative between UNICEF and the Berkman Center building upon a multi-year partnership for analyzing digital and social media growth and trends among children and youth globally. Our team has at its core a network consisting of academics, practitioners, young people, activists, philanthropists, government officials, and representatives of technology companies from around the world who, together, are addressing the challenges and opportunities children and youth encounter in the digital environment.
About Amanda Martinez
Amanda is the newly appointed Executive Director of the Latino STEM Alliance (LSA). Amanda has over 18 years of experience driving continuous improvement and leveraging best practices across organizations. Her previous experience includes similar roles in the non-profit, medical device consulting, consumer products and aerospace industries. Amanda has a strong passion for STEM, diversity and mentoring initiatives. Most recently, Ms. Martinez was recognized by the Red Sox Foundation, Boston Business Journal, the New England Patriots Foundation, Mass Mentoring and the Highland Street Foundation for her dedication to her community and mentoring. Amanda holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth in North Dartmouth, MA.
About Latino STEM Alliance
The Latino STEM Alliance brings existing and successful national robotic programs to partner schools and community groups. The goal is to enable underserved youth to experience hands-on STEM enrichment activities along with relevant role-models in order to inspire them to consider STEM related careers. As a part of these objectives, LSA builds into its programming a robust parent education program where parents learn about STEM and STEM-related educational and career pathways not only for their children who are participating in our programs, but also for themselves.