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Berkeley Engineers and Mentors (BEAM) is a student run organization focused on youth mentorship in the areas of science and engineering. The club reaches out to after school programs in 15 schools in Oakland and Berkeley, providing weekly mentoring sessions for groups of 15-20 elementary, middle or high school students by teams of Cal students. The lessons taught are written by BEAM’s own curriculum team and vary in topic from polymer chemistry to prototyping bridges. No matter the subject, every lesson is designed to be interactive and engaging with the kids in mind. BEAM also empowers it’s undergraduate volunteers by equipping them with the tools necessary to become stronger mentors and the opportunity to lead and make a difference in the community.
I was lucky to have found BEAM early on my time at Cal. Looking back, the club has made the last 4 years so fulfilling. Mentoring and working with kids went from being a casual interest to something I am extremely passionate about. The club showed me how fun putting in hard work as a team towards a common goal can be. That’s also a credit to the many unique, fun and dedicated individuals I met who shared a lot of the same values. They became some of my closest friends and gave me another strong support group in college. If you love working with kids, I would whole heartedly recommend giving BEAM a shot to take your experience at Cal to another level. |