ALMA

Aspire, Learn, Mentor, Achieve (ALMA) is a community service project led by UCLA undergraduate students dedicated to mentoring K-12 students in underrepresented communities as well as promoting higher education and careers in STEM. We collaborate with our community partner, the MPNA organization, to establish a STEM curriculum that includes hands-on activities and educational field trip opportunities for our mentees. As a community service project, ALMA is committed to encourage and support mentees on their academic journeys, aiming to address the low percentage of Latinx professionals and scholars in the field of STEM. Our ALMA volunteering sites consist of three groups: ALMA Science Academy (SA), ALMA Middle School Program (MSP), and ALMA High School Scholar Program (HSSP). The focus for mentees in elementary and middle school is to inspire them to learn more about various science topics including biology, community health, medicine, engineering, and more. Our goal for mentees in high school is to provide them with guidance and mentorship regarding higher education, career exploration, and professional development in order to provide them with the tools necessary to succeed professionally and academically. We encourage UCLA students interested in mentoring and promoting accessibility to STEM education to sign up to volunteer at our ALMA sites.