Grand Rapids, MI (December 2025) —When a student at STEM Greenhouse solved a math problem that stumped even Dr. Keli Christopher – a Ph.D. engineer and the program’s founder – it wasn’t just a classroom victory. It was proof of what can happen when young people are given the right tools, time and belief.

“I’ll never forget it,” Christopher said, smiling. “He started with us in sixth grade and couldn’t add two plus four without counting on his fingers. Three years later, he was solving equations I had to stop and think through. That’s what happens when you refuse to give up on kids.”

For five weeks each summer, the Sankofa STEM Academy turns classrooms into catalysts for confidence. Operated by STEM Greenhouse in Grand Rapids, the program offers middle and high school students from under-resourced schools the chance to accelerate in math and science, experience college life and see what’s possible for their futures.

Thanks in part to a Walters Family Foundation grant, Sankofa expanded its reach, covering wages for expert teachers, meals, transportation and the materials that make its hands-on approach come alive.

“The Walters Foundation’s support helped us reach more kids,” said Christopher. “This isn’t just a summer camp. It’s a place where students discover they belong in spaces like college campuses and laboratories, and that their dreams are valid.”

Held at Grand Rapids Community College and Aquinas College, the academy combines academic rigor with hands-on discovery. Students dive into math, science and coding while also experimenting with robotics, dissections and creative problem-solving. Each week, visiting professionals including engineers, nurses and technologists of color, share their journeys and inspire students to imagine what’s possible.

“When kids see someone who looks like them doing amazing things in STEM, it changes everything,” Christopher said. “They begin to imagine themselves there too.”

The results go beyond inspiration. Each summer, students take pre- and post-tests in math and see measurable gains, some advancing one or two grade levels in just five weeks. “Most summer programs don’t even test for math growth because they don’t expect it,” Christopher said. “But we do, and we see it.”

For high school students, Sankofa doubles as a leadership lab. Through a partnership with the City of Grand Rapids’ Grow 1000 initiative, participants earn paid positions as teaching assistants, learning how to plan lessons, lead activities and mentor younger peers.

“They’re not just helping others,” Christopher said. “They’re discovering their own power. We’re building a pipeline of young leaders who can see themselves as teachers, engineers and innovators.”

This past summer, 120 students participated in the academy, more than half of them first-generation college hopefuls. For many, it was their first time on a college campus. “That’s intentional,” Christopher added. “We want them to know these spaces are for them. They belong here.”

Through the Walters Family Foundation’s support, the Sankofa STEM Academy is not just changing how students learn, it’s changing how they see themselves. “When students leave our program,” Christopher said, “they don’t just see a future, they see themselves in it.”