On World Children's Day, November 20, 2024, we highlight the work of Dawn Treece, a systems engineer, who has created a children's book series that teaches science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts for grades K-6.
In her role as department manager at Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems' Hardware Engineering Center, she led hundreds of electrical engineers.
Her responsibilities included developing and testing subsystem architecture, overseeing circuit card assembly, and ensuring engineering excellence for radar product production and mission support.
A key factor in her success is her ability to identify what is needed to achieve results and deliver quality solutions in environments characterized by mutual respect and collaboration.
Anike Sakariyawo is the executive director of the S.E.E.K Foundation, an organization established in 2012 to address the STEM disparity gap in Title 1 schools and provide all children with access to STEM education.
Anike began her career as a K-3 teacher in the Miami Dade County Public Schools District, where she taught Special Education (SES) for five years to students with learning disabilities, emotional behavior disorders, other health impairments, and gifted students.
For the remaining ten years of her fifteen-year tenure, she taught various subjects, including biology, earth space science, physical science, and physics.
Although she initially felt intimidated about making science engaging and captivating for her students, she remained committed to teaching.
Faced with limited resources in her school district, she enrolled in a local community college to deepen her knowledge of scientific subjects, which ultimately led her to pursue a master's degree in education with a focus on general science.
As an educator in Title 1 schools, Anike witnessed the educational gap, which inspired her to implement private STEM programs at various schools and establish the S.E.E.K Foundation.
In 2016, she led her organization in launching its first robotics program at a senior high school.
She later created an all-girls STEM summer camp that allowed participants to choose from different areas of study.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Anike and her team quickly adapted many programs to virtual platforms and delivered STEM/STEAM kits to parents, enabling children to engage with concepts not typically taught in the classroom.
The S.E.E.K Foundation provides high-quality STEM programs for children of color living in impoverished neighborhoods in the greater Miami and Broward areas, as well as Greater Atlanta.
The foundation has forged strong partnerships with various organizations, including Florida International University, Florida Memorial College, the City of Miami Gardens, Blackstone, Microsoft, General Motors, Miami Dolphins NFL, After School All-Stars DC, Bumble, and more.
Anike offers STEM kits for parents and children to work on together at home and provides training for teachers who wish to teach STEM-related topics.
These initiatives support her mission to engage students of color from underserved communities and ensure their success.
The S.E.E.K Foundation, which began with no funding, now has an annual budget of over $1 million and a staff of 15 members.
Anike launched a virtual school that will evolve into a community space for children to receive quality STEM education, ultimately offering certificates in vocational STEM skills.
The foundation aims to implement programs that utilize a two-generation approach, providing STEM education, job training, and career-building services for low-income parents while simultaneously offering STEM education for their children.
