Our Impact
In Fall 2025, MƒA launched the MƒA STEM ƒutures Cohort (SƒC), a five-year initiative designed to encourage students from low-income families in New York City to pursue STEM majors in college.
Partnering with Leaders High School in South Brooklyn and Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School (WHEELS) in Washington Heights, the program builds on the foundation of outstanding MƒA teachers already working in these schools to create pathways that extend beyond the classroom. As the program launched, the SƒC team hosted 10 STEM engagement experiences across both schools, giving ninth grade students hands-on exposure to STEM topics and helping identify students with strong potential for a summer program. MƒA also provided direct funding to both schools to supplement their STEM materials and resources, including support for mathematics teacher coaching.
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SƒC soon accepted its inaugural class: 14 students from Leaders High School and 15 students from WHEELS, for a cohort of 29 students. This summer, cohort members participated in a six-week computer science intensive hosted at MƒA offices. The curriculum centered on physical computing, using Finch robots, and the creative coding platform p5.js to explore the intersection of mathematics, computer science, 19 and collaborative problem-solving. The program culminated in a hackathon where students applied and showcased everything they had learned. Six MƒA Master Teachers co-facilitated alongside four undergraduate teaching assistants, ensuring students received both expert instruction and near-peer mentorship as they developed their skills and identities as emerging STEM learners.
In the following summers, students in the cohort will be given the opportunity to work with different STEM organizations. Additionally, students will engage in enrichment activities that will aid their applications to four-year institutions. The goal is for students to pursue a STEM major, with support throughout their first-year of college. A central goal of the MƒA SƒC is to learn how comprehensive, multi-year support—grounded in excellent teaching—can help more students from historically underrepresented backgrounds thrive in STEM fields.