Articles

From Jellyfish to Cancer Cells: Ashwin’s Journey through Science

11/4/2025

By: Emily Reier

When Ashwin was in third grade, he wasn’t thinking about cancer research or college scholarships – he just wanted to tag along with his older brother.

“My brother was in this after-school science club run by Dr. Rob at the Wilmington Academy of Arts and Sciences,” he remembers. “They were launching weather balloons, collecting samples in the salt marsh – I thought it sounded awesome. So I asked Dr. Rob if I could join too. He welcomed me right in.”

That small request led to something much bigger. The club Ashwin joined would become the Young Scientist Academy (YSA), and he would become one of its first and longest-standing students.

Maria Brings STEM to Life for Her Students

8/8/2025

The sun rises on another school day at Rose Hill-Magnolia Elementary School in Duplin County, North Carolina, and Maria Johnson, a 6th grade teacher, leads her students to the most anticipated course of the week – science with the Young Scientist Academy (YSA).

Maria has always been a strong proponent of hands-on learning. She began her unconventional teaching journey in 2000 when she filled a need in her community. Many students in Duplin County primarily speak Spanish, and they sometimes do not have access to high quality ESL (English as a Second Language) courses, which provide a gateway into understanding all other classes offered at their school. Limited access to ESL is detrimental to a student’s overall ability to learn because students can’t learn if they don’t understand the language that they’re being taught in. Seeing that Maria could cross the language barrier, Duplin County recruited her as an ESL teacher. She equipped students with the skills that they needed to navigate an English-dominated educational journey. Maria also formed impactful relationships with these students, which prompted her to continue along her primary education career path.

Maddie Discovers her Passion for STEM

2/27/2025

Maddie was a new student at GLOW Academy searching for ways to get involved. She never imagined how much her new venture would unlock new skills and opportunities.

Maddie joined the Young Scientist Academy’s (YSA) Code Niñas, a free program which taught female students data science, coding, and app development. Having no prior coding experience, Maddie was eager to add a new skill to her repertoire. She appreciated the hands-on, project-based approach to learning. Rather than sitting through lectures and completing assigned tasks, she gained the skills necessary to create a greenspace map of Wilmington, NC. This method proved to be incredibly rewarding, giving her a confidence boost and showing her that she was capable of conducting high-level research, even as a high school student.

From Jellyfish to Cancer Cells: Ashwin’s Journey through Science

Maria Brings STEM to Life for Her Students

Maddie Discovers her Passion for STEM

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From Jellyfish to Cancer Cells: Ashwin’s Journey through Science

Maria Brings STEM to Life for Her Students

Maddie Discovers her Passion for STEM

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