Brandywine hosts Youth STEAM event for high school students

MEDIA, Pa. — The Brandywine LaunchBox held a Youth Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) and Startup Day for high school students on March 11. Nearly 90 students from five local high schools (Chester Charter Scholars Academy, Paul Robeson High School in Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School in West Chester, Springfield High School and Upper Darby High School) attended the event to learn about physics, entrepreneurship, robotics and more.

“Inviting high schools to our campus to deliver this program is always a highlight on our calendar of events. It was impressive to see students interact and volunteer during our workshops and speaker sessions,” said Tony Mattei, director of entrepreneurship and digital marketing at Brandywine and coordinator of the event.

“The feedback and buzz in the room were that of excitement and appreciation," Mattei added. "My gratitude goes out to our partnerships and Penn State Brandywine faculty along with our grant that allows us to deliver this level of exposure for our campus.”

Mattei collaborated with Brandywine faculty and students, as well as CTDI, a full-service global engineering company, to facilitate activities and workshops for the event.

In addition, startup workshop presenters included Kevin Sutton, founder of 11:22 MMG, and Philadelphia Freeway, founder of the Freedom Thinkers Academy. Sutton, who hosted a workshop on entrepreneurship, noted how he was impressed with how inspired the students were after hearing his talk.

“Delivering the ‘Dreams Don’t Work Unless You Do’ workshop at Penn State via the LaunchBox for the high school students was an incredible experience. The level of engagement in the room was powerful. Students weren’t just listening, they were actively participating, thinking and challenging themselves,” he said.

“You could see the shift happen in real time as they began to understand what it truly means to turn words into action. By the end of the session, it was clear they walked away not just inspired, but equipped with a mindset to execute their goals," Sutton said. "I truly look forward to seeing some of the ideas they shared with the room come to reality!”

Brandywine’s Youth STEAM and Startup Day was sponsored by the Meridian Fund and Halliday Properties Youth Programs Grant.