Students at Lexington High School banded together in 2021 to form the Lexington Youth STEAM Initiative, a student-led team focusing on using science, technology, engineering, art, and math to serve the community. Working with local nonprofits, the team aims to put their skills to use and strengthen the community.
“The STEAM Team mainly does projects for many nonprofit or town-affiliated organizations like Lex Lyceum or the Monroe Center of Arts. [The goal is] to strengthen the bonds of our community and the next generation of innovative students,” Isabella Li, a sophomore, said.
A notable project the team has worked on is the Heroes Project—one to raise awareness of often-overlooked historical heroes.
“For example, maybe we only know [George] Washington, but [the] soldiers fought under him were also really important to the entire United States. So essentially, we want to make those people who are just hidden [visible], and we want to reveal their importance,” Michael He, a junior, said.
Beyond these projects, the team provides valuable opportunities for students to improve their leadership and communication skills. With older members guiding them, newer members are also able to gain experience with various software tools.
“In our team meetings in my first year, older students taught us how to use VS code and Unreal Engine… I also got to lead a project, and that enhanced my leadership skills and time management,” Li said.
While the team has celebrated many achievements, it has also encountered challenges, particularly with acquiring the necessary funding for their projects.
“[We have] a lack of resources. For example, we need money to do a lot of things… we’re dealing with the Lexington government and we want to create a website called Lex Budget for counting what money [went] where,” He said.
Looking to the future, the STEAM Team plans to continue collaborating with local organizations to expand their impact on the community. For students interested in joining, the process involves an interview where applicants have the opportunity to demonstrate their enthusiasm for the projects and showcase the skills they can bring.
“Anybody can [be interviewed], you just have to show that you have some basic understanding of the topic,” He said.
Being a part of the Youth STEAM Initiative has been highly rewarding for both Li and He. Li especially loved designing a website for Douglass Day, a holiday celebrating Frederick Douglass.
“I really enjoyed doing it, because when I saw the website go public, it was very satisfying to see my work actually being useful,” Li said.
Similarly, He values his ability to make change and credits the Youth STEAM Initiative for empowering him.
“The STEAM Team revealed to me a lot of problems I never thought about before… I used to think the world is really, really good, except for those major issues that we talk about every day… but there are a lot of minor details that can be solved with my skills, and I really appreciate that,” He said.
