Houston Works
Why is it that as we grow older we question what we knew to be a sure thing in our youth? What would the world be like if we all still harnessed that unadulterated ambition and replaced the ‘deferment due to difficulty’ with accessible paths to ours and others’ dreams? Well we did find Aiden, the aspiring rocket scientist, and Lauren, the ecofriendly engineer in training and an organization that can help plan out and lead them down a possible route to their futures.
This non-profit by the name of Houston Works serves as an umbrella for several programs including YouthBuild which works with Habitat for Humanity, Pathways out of Poverty and the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) program. STEM is a summer course supported by NASA, Shell, Schlumberger, the U.S. Department of Defense, TSU, UH and Texas A&M. For the past two years STEM has offered just 100 slots. Through an application process, students are accepted based on GPA, letters of recommendation and required essays. Due to the tremendous amount of applications this past summer, STEM is expanding and adding a residential camp at the Texas A&M campus. Currently the middle school students are hosted at TSU and the high school students at UH. During this fourweek camp, students get real-life experience in science and technology through hands-on activities. They work on projects and venture out on field trips that relate to weekly lessons.
Getting to work with NASA employees and scientists first-hand was a childhood dream come true for one camper. J.R. Roberts participated the first summer STEM was offered. He applied after hearing about the program through his math and science instructors at Kandy Stripe Academy. Supported by his family and encouraged by his love of science, J.R. collected what the application required. After being accepted, J.R. succeeded in his assignments and enjoyed the lessons. At the end of the four weeks, J.R. was asked to give a speech at the commencement ceremony, where Chief Administrator General Charles F. Bolden Jr. heard his salute to NASA and was so moved that he published J.R.’s speech on the NASA website. After making quite the impression with the people of Houston Works, J.R. was invited to attend a cocktail party at founder and owner of Academy Sports & Outdoors Arthur Gotchman’s home. JR and his mother were also asked to speak to an intimate group of sponsors, sharing STEM experience and gratitude for Houston Works. The cocktail party was a planning session for Houston Works 25th Anniversary – toasting former Mayor Whitmire for her vision and formation of the organization, now in its 26th year. After the speeches were given, founder and president of World Youth Initiative, Karen Franklin, invited both of them to attend a DC trip with an elite group of student scholars and extended an invitation for JR to join the WYI ambassador-in-training program. The itinerary entailed attending both the Presidential Breakfast and Dinner (end of September 2009). There J.R. actually got to meet the president and came to find that even a young voice can carry importance in this nation. JR aspires to be a rocket scientist, a mission control center operator/navigator and robotics engineer. J.R. now realizes his full potential and is focused on surpassing every current goal.
Houston Works is an entity radiating motivation to help Houstonians succeed and map out their future step-by-step. Whether it be providing at-risk youths a path to their GED as well as connections and training to work in construction-related fields, or helping low-income families with the job search and interview preparation process, Houston Works is clenching onto the idea that dreams can happen and uncontrollable circumstances can be overcome. Energetically trying to inform Houstonians about the numerous ways they can help, Houston Works hosts assemblies where they help ignite the determination and minimize the deferment of the Aidens and Laurens in the Houston community.