ANova is a student organization that seeks to empower students by providing computer science education and mentorship to under-resourced schools and marginalized communities. Our mentors develop individualized curriculum to teach at each of our middle and high school partner sites, with the goal of increasing equitable exposure and accessibility to the tech space.
Our members go on weekly visits to our partnered schools either to enrich an existing computer science class, or to teach a project-based afterschool program. Additionally, ANova offers events such as ANova Day to support high school students — our resources include college-essay reviews, campus tours, major showcase student panels, and technical workshops.
As students at a top school for Computer Science, ANova recognizes the importance of diversity. The majority of our students come from urban areas where most students are not exposed to computer science or higher education. We hope to not only transform the spark of an idea into a prototype, but also to ignite a passion for computer science in our participants. By presenting a firsthand look at virtual reality, gaming, information security, artificial intelligence and more, we provide students with an exciting look into the forefront of technological innovation. Learn more about us on our website: https://www.berkeleyanova.org/.
Read more about the work that we do below:
We currently reach out to over 100 students at ten different middle/high school programs. To be considered for our program, each one of these schools must provide above 40% free and reduced lunch. Every site has its own curriculum catered to its own specific needs.
Due to COVID-19, we have not been able to continue our in-person site visits. However, we have been conducting site through Zoom sessions where we have been optimizing curriculum for online learning. We meet with our site groups once a week to prepare our curriculum and what we are going to teach that week before meeting with the students.
Every year, ANova puts on a hackathon for students in underserved communities. This year, ANova Hacks will be an overnight, free of charge hackathon designed to change the way our students think about computer science. We want to give them the skills and experience necessary to achieve their career aspirations, and spread their ideas to the world through technology. We imagine a diverse tech environment where age, gender and background do not limit one’s ability to pursue computer science, and the mission of ANova Hacks is to make that a reality.
ANova Hacks merges the fundamental computer science techniques taught at our weekly site visits with workshops geared towards the construction of a project. Workshops and panels about financial aid, college life and the application process inspire students to pursue higher education in one of their passions. We offer students knowledge and advice from successful, experienced industry leaders as well as mentorship from passionate UC Berkeley students. Most of all, ANova Hacks is about forming friendships with these students so that they have the resources they need to achieve their goals.
By cost alone, college applications are extremely inaccessible. Moreover, the information needed to adequately submit an application can be extremely overwhelming. This is why we started our college mentoring program, where each of our mentors are matched with one or two high school seniors who are applying to college. Each student is able to ask their mentor all sorts of questions they have about the very intimidating and confusing college application process.
Help ANova fund a 24-hour hackathon for under-resourced students and spread the love for Computer Science! Please make a gift today! Contact us at our website: https://www.berkeleyanova.org/
| Rank | State | Gifts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CA | 13 |
| 2 | NM | 1 |
| 2 | MD | 1 |
