About Lavanya’s Entrepreneurial Journey
“For nine years, STEM Center USA focused on in-person robotics and coding classes for K-12 students in Southern California. In 2020, due to the pandemic, we pivoted our company operations to provide virtual services to our current clients and partners. We went from having zero virtual options to offering more than 15 different courses that are specifically designed for virtual and hybrid learning experiences. In addition, we expanded our training and hiring to ensure all our courses are designed to be culturally responsive and offered bilingually in English and Spanish.
We pivoted our main company operations towards the Migrant Education Program (MEP) due to the lack of access and initiatives available to this demographic. Migrant students often move up to 3-4 times a year as they shift between agricultural farms and are at a disadvantage as they move between schools and lose time in the classroom. The majority of Migrant families come from Latinx, Vietnamese, and Punjabi backgrounds. This is important to STEM Center USA’s founders, who are two women of color engineers and daughters of South Asian immigrants.
Furthermore, STEM Center USA aims to address the lack of diversity within STEM fields by being responsive to students’ needs. This comes in the form of diverse team members, bilingual and responsive education, and meaningful, hands-on activities. It is our responsibility as a socially good company to uplift underserved communities by providing learning opportunities and access to STEM education.”
About Lavanya’s Pitch
“I am honored and excited to compete in the Minority Women Lead live pitch competition! I am appreciative of this opportunity to share more about my business and the work it does with Migrant students and STEM education. I think my pitch will bring awareness and interest to the intersection of education, technology, and social responsibility.”