How many of us have pursued a career because of a passionate
mentor or teacher? I personally chose engineering mainly because
my father shared his love for it with me. Children in urban
schools rarely come in contact with highly motivated, intense
scientists or engineers. So when you go into their classrooms
you change the way they think. You prove that they too can
aspire to and pursue a career in science or engineering. This
experience was a very powerful for me. I decided to devote all
my energies to motivating underserved children to develop
important skills, work hard and aim high. I started Iridescent,
a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing the best and
most exciting science experiences to underserved communities.
The model is essentially to help engineers use their skills to
develop interesting, hands-on science activities for children
and to inspire them to pursue a career in science or
engineering. The Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering Department
at USC has been a very strong champion of th