Uplift Jamaican Schoolchildren Through Science

The 2026 Mobile STEPS Workshop brought STEM learning directly to high school students through a hands-on experience designed to spark curiosity, expand career awareness, and help students envision themselves in the world of science and technology.

The workshop began with a Foldscope exploration, giving students the opportunity to become scientists themselves. Working in teams, students used portable Foldscopes to examine prepared slides and investigate specimens collected from their own surroundings. Students experienced the excitement of making observations, asking questions, and discovering something they could not see with the naked eye. The activity transformed an everyday environment into a laboratory and demonstrated that meaningful scientific exploration can begin with something as simple as curiosity.

The second half of the workshop, “Now We Ask a Scientist,” shifted the focus from scientific discovery to the people and careers behind it. Students participated in small-group Ask Me Anything sessions with STEM professionals whose careers represented a wide range of pathways, including computational biology, biomedical engineering, psychiatric genetics, veterinary science, antibiotic research, science policy, genomic medicine, science education, and digital transformation. 

Mentors shared their personal journeys from the choices, unexpected turns, educational experiences, and opportunities that shaped where they are today. Students then had the opportunity to ask candid questions about what scientists actually do, what their work looks like, how they got started, and what possibilities exist beyond the traditional image of a STEM career.

The result not only exposed the students to STEM careers, but it was a shift in how they understood what could become possible with their STEM interests. When asked what they learned that they did not know before attending the workshop, students repeatedly described discovering that STEM is far broader and more flexible than they had imagined:

• “Career paths are not linear and you can carve your own path.”
• “I learned about different careers in the science fields that isn't revolved around becoming a medical doctor or even a scientist.”
• “That there's a job for most everything and so many different paths you can take with science.”
• “I did not know that there were so many avenues in the STEM field.”
• “Science doesn't limit to medicine and you have time to decide and evolve.”

These reflections capture the heart of the Mobile STEPS experience. Students left new scientific knowledge and a larger vision of their own futures. For some students, the workshop introduced a career they had never heard of. For others, it challenged the assumption that pursuing STEM means becoming a physician or following one predetermined path. Meeting scientists who took different routes to their careers provided them with the curiosity to explore and imagine possibilities they had not previously considered. 

This is the impact of investing in hands-on STEM outreach.Your continued donor support makes it possible to bring opportunities like this directly to students. SOSA continues to thank you for helping us make all this possible.