Ohio State University senior and Olentangy Orange High School (OOHS) alumnus Ashwin Rajkumar started the Be Wise Initiative, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, back at OOHS in 2020 to inspire and facilitate the girls and boys of the next generation to develop a passion for STEM-based majors both here in the United States and internationally. Besides Rajkumar, Ohio State students Esha Sharma (CIO), Nikhitha Vellanki (CAO), Ashley Tarrant (COO), and Pranav Ingale (CMO) also lead the initiative. The initiative hosts afterschool programs at elementary schools where students get hands-on experience through experiments.

Vellanki explained, “We partner with Olentangy and Dublin school districts and work with them for their after-school programs every school year. With six high school chapters and 30 elementary schools, we teach over 500-plus elementary students yearly. In summer, we work with the YMCA and run an 8-week STEM camp covering various science topics. We are also starting our mentorship program that partners one female college student with one female high school student that will help them guide them through their future.”

Since 2020, the Be Wise team has made tremendous progress toward their goals. For example, this school year, the team is exploring potential partnerships with an organization known as Diamond Grove Scholars. With this partnership, Be Wise will not only begin to branch into the space education sector but also help Diamond Grove Scholars’ mission with NanoRacks to kickstart space education for students. Additionally, they are continuing the development and partnership with the Whitehall YMCA to open up their very first Innovation Lab. That will be a groundbreaking innovation space that will allow students K-12 to register for a variety of STEM curricula that are specifically catered to each of their unique learning styles. Finally, the Be Wise Initiative is also in the process of pushing this innovation lab model out internationally as well, to countries like Taiwan to help fulfill their goal of being bilingual by 2030.

However, the initiative has faced many hurdles throughout its three-year history, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Vellanki said, “Like many others, we were also affected by the pandemic. We tried to do Zoom meetings where we taught kids every week. But we struggled because we couldn’t make that personal connection like we do in person. During our first years of running the mentorship program, we struggled to run a large-scale mentorship program.”

The Be Wise Initiative has created lasting memories and impact for elementary students and volunteers through their experiments and events. Sania Sameer, a senior at Olentangy Liberty High School and Be Wise volunteer, said, “My favorite memory is seeing the kids’ faces light up when they experiment! I joined the Be Wise Initiative as I knew it would be a club that I enjoy taking part in. I enjoy working with kids and STEM, so it was the perfect match for me.”

Individuals can support the initiative in various ways.

Vellanki explained, “As a reader, we ask you to help promote and follow us on our social media, where we post more about our events. Another way to support this is by joining our volunteer base to help participate and motivate the next generation into STEM. Additionally, if you are a business owner of any capacity, the Be Wise Initiative is always ready to work with you whether that’s through partnerships or sponsorships, so please feel free to reach out!”

This article was written by William Wang and Lucas Colegrove, Olentangy Liberty High School students who are members of Powell Youth Council, a 15-student-governed nonprofit organization recognized and partnered with the Powell government that Wang created in March of 2022. Powell Youth Council’s purpose is to give a voice and power to the youth of Powell in local decisions and projects, show how local leaders create projects and decisions, and motivate the youth to help their community.