AVELA -- A Vision for Engineering Literacy & Access: Understanding Why Technology Alone Is Not Enough

TL;DR

This study reframes the digital divide for Black and Latine urban youth as a sociotechnical issue, not merely a hardware gap, and introduces AVELA—a student-led, community-anchored STEM engagement model. Using a multimethod evaluation (interviews, pre/post surveys, and autoethnography) across four years, it demonstrates that near-peer mentorship, representative role models, experiential learning, and community-centered co-design collectively reduce barriers and enhance skill development, confidence, and STEM career aspirations. The findings offer principled design recommendations for scalable, equity-focused STEM outreach at other universities and emphasize sustaining impact through compensated mentorship and durable partnerships. Overall, the work highlights that integrating identity-safe pedagogy with research-backed teaching methods yields meaningful engagement and pathways into technology-driven careers for Black and Latine students. The study advances practical guidance for universities seeking to expand inclusive STEM access through student-led, community-informed programs.

Abstract

Unequal technology access for Black and Latine communities has been a persistent economic, social justice, and human rights issue despite increased technology accessibility due to advancements in consumer electronics like phones, tablets, and computers. We contextualize socio-technical access inequalities for Black and Latine urban communities and find that many students are hesitant to engage with available technologies due to a lack of engaging support systems. We present a holistic student-led STEM engagement model through AVELA - A Vision for Engineering Literacy and Access leveraging culturally responsive lessons, mentor embodied community representation, and service learning. To evaluate the model's impact after 4 years of mentoring 200+ university student instructors in teaching to 2,500+ secondary school students in 100+ classrooms, we conducted 24 semi-structured interviews with college AnonymizedOrganization members. We identify access barriers and provide principled recommendations for designing future STEM education programs.

Figures (9)

• Figure 1: AVELA timeline with key milestones highlighted by year. A) First AVELA class taught by founder. B) AVELA founders partner with UW engineering department to teach 3 summer classes. C) Founder meets secondary student named AVELA while studying racism in education systems in Cape Town, South Africa. D) AVELA Submits UW registered student organization documents. E) Membership grows from 2 to 5 students. F) Membership grows from 5 to 100 students. G) Membership grows from 100 to 200 students. H) Members teach 500+ secondary school students. I) AVELA helps host 8 NSF REU students. J) AVELA establishes 501(c)(3) nonprofit. K) Members teach 1200+ secondary school students. L) AVELA co-hosts remote classes in cities across the U.S.
• Figure 2: Demographic breakdown at one of AVELA's partnering schools.
• Figure 3: Various AVELA projects are shown with their names listed as follows, with more detailed information on the projects specified in Section 4 Social Good & Research-driven Lessons. A) Coding fractals using Python. B) Portable door alarm system using Arduino. C) Website development for minority owned businesses using HTML and CSS. D) Analog heart rate monitor circuit costing only $10. E) Machine learning for Tetris player artificial intelligence (AI). F) Data activism using Python coding libraries. G) Iodine clock using measured chemical reaction times. H) Sustainable design using biodegradable 3D filament.
• Figure 4: Overview of interview participants’ demographic information.
• Figure 5: Class survey respondents’ demographics by grade (8 different grades) and breakdown of class projects (9 different projects). The complete demographic information of the interviewees can be found in the Appendix.