FAQ

  • Q: What do you mean by “risk mitigation solutions” in the context of STEM?Include questions a potential student may have before purchase.

    By “risk mitigation solutions,” I mean tools and frameworks I’ve developed to prevent the loss of human capital due to the lack of direction in STEM pathways. After entering STEM and working with a mentor for a year, I realized there were no tools to guide my trajectory. So, I adapted tools I had been exposed to and refined them into testable, measurable systems to increase STEM participation.

  • Q: Why approach STEM through the lens of public administration and risk management?

    Policy is often the driver of STEM initiatives and tends to take a top-down view. Risk management allows for a bottom-up analysis rooted in community realities. By blending both perspectives, we increase the chance for sustainable, effective outcomes.

  • Q: Why focus specifically on communities below the national literacy average?

    Because STEM outreach rarely accounts for literacy as a barrier. That gap excludes whole demographics—many of whom don’t appear in traditional data sets but share the same invisible block. For instance, a professor once read my autoethnographic essay and related to it deeply, despite being a white man who didn't match typical STEM gap demographics. With slight adjustments, our journeys were nearly identical. For those outside traditional STEM pipelines, there's a profound knowledge gap. My work aims to fill that void.

  • Q: How do you define or identify those communities in your research?

    I use the NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) literacy benchmarks as a guide. The STEM gap alone is limiting; we've seen solutions for first-generation college students, but the gap is even wider for first-generation learners—which often overlaps with communities below the national literacy average.

  • Q: What do these solutions look like in practice? Are they programs, tools, or policies?

    The solutions take the form of proprietary tools supported by programs that strengthen their impact. After implementation and refinement, these tools will inform future policies.

  • Q: How does grassroots action show up in your model? Is it community-led, educator-based, or policy-informing?

    Grassroots action, in my model, means coordinated support from the people students already trust—parents, educators, extended family. It's designed to build an ecosystem of belonging and support, not a one-time push.

  • Q: Have you seen early results or feedback from communities or individuals?

    Yes. I was the first user of my tools, and they helped me build a fulfilling, purpose-aligned career. I've also begun developing an AI-driven version of the tool. In early tests with family and friends, it matched individuals to STEM fields with over 90% accuracy—including current STEM professionals.

  • Q: How will you measure success in this work—engagement, retention, career entry?

    Success begins with diagnostics: understanding where a student is starting and what academic tools are missing. From there, engagement, retention, and career pathways become milestones. Our definition of success starts earlier than most programs.

  • Q: Is there a timeline for when you expect to inform or influence policy?

    Yes—once the foundational tools are validated and refined. The timeline depends on resolving friction points during development.

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  • Q: What do you mean by “risk mitigation solutions” in the context of STEM?

    By “risk mitigation solutions,” I mean tools and frameworks I’ve developed to prevent the loss of human capital due to the lack of direction in STEM pathways. After entering STEM and working with a mentor for a year, I realized there were no tools to guide my trajectory. So, I adapted tools I had been exposed to and refined them into testable, measurable systems to increase STEM participation.

  • Q: Why focus specifically on communities below the national literacy average?

    Because STEM outreach rarely accounts for literacy as a barrier. That gap excludes whole demographics—many of whom don’t appear in traditional data sets but share the same invisible block. For instance, a professor once read my autoethnographic essay and related to it deeply, despite being a white man who didn't match typical STEM gap demographics. With slight adjustments, our journeys were nearly identical. For those outside traditional STEM pipelines, there's a profound knowledge gap. My work aims to fill that void.

  • Q: How do you define or identify those communities in your research?

    I use the NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) literacy benchmarks as a guide. The STEM gap alone is limiting; we've seen solutions for first-generation college students, but the gap is even wider for first-generation learners—which often overlaps with communities below the national literacy average.