In July of last year, I had the opportunity to work with Dr. Amy Catlin-Jairazbhoy, an ethnomusicology professor at UCLA, at Apsara Media. I helped Dr. Amy with her work with the Sidi people, an African, Sufi minority in India. In particular, I was involved with the Sidi Literacy Project, a program that sets out to better the Sidi community through education, editing Dr. Amy鈥檚 footage from her last visit to India. Aside from working on the project, I had the opportunity to read books and watch documentaries on the group every day in an effort to understand the music and customs of the Sidi people.

During this externship, Dr. Amy has shown me that in order to serve my community and improve the world that I live in, it is imperative to understand life from the point of view of others. In understanding more about Sidi culture, I realized that the pressing matters discussed in the footage I was editing began to make more sense, as it not only presented conflict but also posed an answer to the question, 鈥淲hy is this happening?鈥� Many social injustices and violations of human rights look to 鈥渃ulture鈥� as its scapegoat. Just because actions are justified in the name of culture, in the name of a god, does not make them just.

Still, there is much value and beauty in culture. Cultural practices help shape our world into a conglomerate of individuals, not a group that enforces uniformity. In order to be true to our roots, learn from mistakes of the past, and embrace where we come from, culture must be preserved. To resolve conflict in our country and in other nations, it is important to find a balance between innovation and tradition. That balance can only be established with widespread education and a genuine interest to understand another group of people.

How are we supposed to reach resolution when the question of 鈥渨hy?鈥� hasn鈥檛 been answered yet? I realized that, at times, many social injustices originate from varying cultures; however, I believe that the reason they still exist and continue to spread is because of our inability to look at culture as a viable inhibitor for basic human rights. It is only when we understand this idea and step into the shoes of others that we can find a balance between culture and progress. In doing so, we can find a solution to inequality that does not impose our own value system on others, a solution that holds both culture and social justice equal to each other.

Last summer, I realized that there is a way that I can be a force for good in my community. Through the many days she鈥檚 spent watching documentaries with me, through the days she spent translating Gujarati into English with me, through the visit she brought me on to the ethnomusicology department at UCLA, and through the Sidi Literacy Project and her other research, Dr. Amy taught me that. I鈥檝e realized that the most effective mentors are those who have challenged me to wonder why things are the way they are, to allow my passions to guide me, and to inspire others to want to do better for the world that we live in. I am so thankful to Dr. Amy for her encouragement and for opening up a different world to me.

Want to experience a hands-on externship under the guidance of an experienced mentor this summer? ! Applications for the 2019 program are due April 9, 2019.

Read Part 1 of this series .

Since I started working at 优蜜视频 three years ago, I鈥檝e witnessed the remarkable evolution of our program offerings and have had the opportunity to spearhead , a summer externship program that was piloted in 2016 for high school students. What started as an initiative to cultivate local high school talent, continued to build positive momentum and increase in the total number of gifted students served each year, both locally and internationally. 聽After a successful pilot-year of EXPLORE, we found there was a niche for opportunities focused on mentorship and real-world, professional experience. Most high schoolers who are ready for advanced research work were competing with a pool of college and graduate level students who already possessed the educational, and sometimes professional, qualifications. It was often difficult for them to convince organizations or university-level labs to take them on as interns. Despite this, students who participated in EXPLORE continue to prove that the next generation have so much to offer and are highly capable of working along-side professionals and college-level researchers. EXPLORE, as with other 优蜜视频 initiatives, developed as a result of our community鈥檚 need for access to optimally challenging learning opportunities, and 优蜜视频鈥檚 strong effort to find a way to serve these learners.

This year, I was entrusted once again to pilot a program, this time for 7^th through 12^th grade, called (LABS). The creation of the LABS Series was a direct result of numerous requests from students and parents who wanted a program that would engage learners in the 鈥榠n-between鈥�—they were too young to participate in advanced programs focused on college and career development and too old to avail of other enrichment opportunities. Additionally, for many of these students, there was a desire to not only become immersed in challenging and unique learning experiences, but to be surrounded by like-minded peers their age. In evaluating the need for such a program, 优蜜视频 also evaluated our current initiatives and noticed there were students aging out of that were not being served. We wanted to find a way to keep them engaged and involved with additional programming. As with other students who were 鈥榠n-between鈥�, these students want opportunities that foster their curiosity and passion for STEM and are content-rich, research-based and hands-on.

LABS Series emerged as a way for 优蜜视频 to nurture the needs of these bright, inquisitive learners and further serve them through Academy and beyond. We hoped to give students access to new knowledge and introduce them to the skills needed to be a successful scientific researcher through workshops facilitated by passionate professionals in the STEM field. We received an overwhelmingly great response from our community when we launched the first LABS Series in March 2018. With only 15 spots available for the first workshop, there was a waiting list after two weeks of opening the program. The first workshop was facilitated by Ivanna Escala, an NSF/Ford Graduate Research Fellow at the Caltech Department of Astronomy, who discussed the Chemical Evolution of Galaxies. Ivanna shared her research about galactic chemical evolution and guided students through a hands-on activity to investigate the basic properties of the visible light spectrum using various lamps and spectroscopes.

The proceeding line-up of LABS featured more incredible scientists and innovative research topics, including:

• Ecology and Water in Desert Biological Soil Crust Ecosystems with Dr. Kirsten Fisher, Associate Professor, Graduate Advisor Biological Sciences at Cal State Los Angeles
• Plant Ecology with Dr. Alexandra Wright, Assistant Professor of Ecology at Cal State Los Angeles
• Circadian Rhythms in Genetics with Dr. Susan E. Cohen, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences at Cal State Los Angeles
• The Neuromechanics of Sensory Systems with Bradley Dickerson, Ph.D., NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow and California Alliance AGEP Fellow at Caltech

In reflecting on the successful implementation of pilot programs, like LABS Series and EXPLORE, I can鈥檛 help but feel elated to see the growth of programs that were built from the ground up and organically formed as a result of a need from our community. It makes every bit of progress more meaningful and further inspires me to do the work I do with this population of learners. I am then reminded that whenever there is a need, 优蜜视频 finds a way! 优蜜视频 continually strives to meet gifted learners where they are in their educational journey and always has an open door to families in need of something more.

To learn more about LABS Series or to register for our September 22^nd workshop on 鈥淪imple Math Problems No One Knows How To Solve. Yet.鈥� with Professor Mike Krebs, visit the !

优蜜视频鈥檚 EXPLORE program is in full swing! This year, the selection and placement process was especially competitive as students vied for a chance to work with distinguished mentors and sites willing to host only a selected number of students. In addition to meeting site specific pre-requisites, applicants underwent a rigorous application process which included participating in a phone interview and submitting two letters of recommendation, two essays, a professional resume, academic transcripts, standardized test scores, and sample work.

After students were vetted and selected for the program, they were thoughtfully matched with mentors who shared similar passions in their career field of interest and had professional trajectories externs hoped to pursue in the future. In the end, 20 exceptional students were placed to work and conduct college level research at eight mentor sites throughout the Greater Los Angeles area. Each student demonstrated excellence in education, strong leadership skills, a passion for learning, and a desire to continuously challenge themselves. Mentors who saw their extern鈥檚 profile and resume were impressed at how accomplished and adept these young people were, despite only being in high school.

To prepare Cohorts 1 and 2 for their externship experience, students participated in a weekend orientation at . They had an opportunity to get acquainted with their peers, engage in team building activities, including a scavenger hunt around UCLA, and participate in a professional development workshop focused on strengthening their communication, conflict management, and networking skills. Students offered great insights during discussions and contributed their talents and knowledge to various activities throughout the day. Following the orientation students hit the ground running as they delved into their mentor鈥檚 research and worked to develop their final research projects. In a few more weeks, nine students from Cohort 3 will begin their externship experience at the .

As a new component of EXPLORE, students meet every Friday to attend educational excursions and workshops geared towards building their college and career readiness. Workshops not only provide a supportive forum for externs for share their triumphs and challenges from the work week, but they also allow externs 聽to learn from experts who share their insights about finding the right college fit, writing personal narratives for college, interviewing and writing resumes, assessing personality and career fit, and developing financial literacy. This addition has proved to be a wonderful way to create a strong sense of community among brilliant, like-minded young people.

With only a few more weeks left, students will soon be culminating from EXPLORE and presenting their final research projects at the EXPLORE Culmination ceremonies on July 27^th and August 11^th. If you鈥檙e curious about the great work these students are doing, please join us in the celebration during 优蜜视频鈥檚 Summer Spotlight event!

EXPLORE would not be possible without the generosity of time, knowledge, and expertise of our dedicated mentors. We appreciate the continued support and dedication of our mentors and would like to extend our gratitude to EXPLORE 2017 Mentors:

If you are a 9^th-11^th grade high school student who would like to gain hands-on experience and study a specific career field of interest, consider applying to EXPLORE next summer! Check out the for updates about deadlines and future mentor sites.

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鈥淭ell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.鈥�

Benjamin Franklin鈥檚 quote embodies the sort of impact a mentor can have in a young person鈥檚 life. Mentors are truly extraordinary individuals who are willing to share and dedicate their time, expertise, knowledge and skills to positively influence the lives of young people. They get them involved in relevant work and activities that extend beyond the confines of their classroom and nurtures their interests and passions.

This summer, 优蜜视频 introduced its reimagined mentorship program for high school students, EXPLORE, which is short for Externships Providing Leadership Opportunities for Research and Education. In its inaugural year, 22 highly motivated and exceptional high school students were selected to extern at 12 mentor sites throughout the Greater Los Angeles area, including Art Center College of Design, Caltech, Children鈥檚 Hospital Los Angeles, CoachArt, Kadenze, and various departments within UCLA and USC. While most students were Los Angeles natives, others traveled from out-of-state, including Rhode Island, Illinois, and Washington, to spend a summer immersed in research work. They represented a diverse population of learners from different cultural, social, and economic backgrounds. They also brought with them unique talents and an impressive list of academic and personal accolades.

To kick off the program, all externs participated in a day-long Professional Development Orientation hosted at the Art Center College of Design, one of 优蜜视频鈥檚 long-standing mentor sites. During orientation, students met their fellow externs, participated in team building activities, listened to a talk from Caltech Mentor Dr. Lynne Hillenbrand, and learned about professional skills to prepare them for their externship.

For most high school students, there are few opportunities in a traditional classroom to delve into an area of study for an extended period of time. Their daily schedule and academic grind often forces them to spread their focus on a laundry list of classes, assignments, exams and extra-curricular activities. EXPLORE externs, however, had the unique opportunity to apply their learning beyond the classroom and pursue their passions and interests in a specific field of study. Each extern engaged in two to six weeks of summer research work and projects with mentors who were preeminent professionals in their field. Externs worked in a variety of professional settings, from research laboratories and university classrooms to business offices and creative tech spaces. Externs based in academic lab settings were exposed to the often arduous, but intellectually stimulating, task of reading research papers on their topic, running lab tests, learning new computer programming language, compiling and analyzing data, and contributing their findings in a final research paper. Conversely, externs based at creative sites participated in hands-on workshops to strengthen their artistic skills, collaborated on projects with college-level students and professionals, gained exposure to new technologies for producing artistic works, and learned about the important roles and operations within a successful organization. Externs not only conducted real-world, college-level research, and were exposed to a variety of professional environments, but they also learned valuable life skills like taking public transportation to work and navigating their way around large college campuses.

Upon completion of the program, externs presented their final research or project during EXPLORE鈥檚 Culmination Celebrations, held at the Barder House on July 8^th and July 22^nd. During these events, we celebrated the accomplishments of our externs and learned about the impressive work they completed at their respective sites. Students presented on such research topics as: statistical trends in the use of the word 鈥渆volve鈥� and its variants, liposome synthesis, drawbridge message authentication, analytical technologies to measure human performance, and necrotizing enterocolitis. The hard work and level of sophistication of each research project was evident as each extern spoke eloquently and proudly about their work. There is no doubt that these talented young people will be paving the way for innovative research in the future.

In addition to having a brilliant cohort of EXPLORE externs, the program would not be possible without the support of our Mentors who cultivated their skills, talents, and interests. 优蜜视频 would like to extend our gratitude to EXPLORE 2016 Mentors:

If you are a high school student who would like to gain real-world experience and study a specific field of interest, consider applying to EXPLORE next summer! Check out the for updates about deadlines and future mentor sites.

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Ni帽a Abonal graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a B.A. in Business Administration and a minor in Elementary Education. She later returned to LMU to earn聽her Master of Arts in Educational Studies. With a decade of experience working聽in educational non-profits, she has taken on various roles including tutoring K-8 students in all subject areas, providing SAT prep, serving as a college advisor for a virtual college access program, and coordinating internships for high school students. During her free time, she enjoys volunteering, hiking, exploring new places to eat, and spending time with her family. She is eager to continue her passion working with youth at 优蜜视频 and hopes to continually seek innovative ways to improve the quality of and access to educational resources for all students.