I founded gmSTEM to provide students from all backgrounds with the opportunity to learn a skill set that they might not have had access to otherwise. I have specifically focused on students from South Central Los Angeles, the same community I was born and raised in. Growing up I didn’t have many opportunities to pursue STEM fields, this was especially disheartening because my goal was to attend medical school in order to become a cardiovascular physician.

I was fortunate enough to have been able to attend college majoring in Biochemistry, but it was there I learned that I didn’t have the tools necessary to fulfill my lifelong goal. I remember taking my first Biology course and I felt like my class peers were 100 light years ahead of me in terms of knowledge on the subject. So, as you can imagine I struggled tremendously, I would often seek help but was consistently ignored and overlooked. So, to make a very long story short, I decided to be the mentor I wish I would have had growing up, to other students who I know are facing similar pains. I always tell my students, “I understand you, because I was you” and that truly makes all the difference in my ability to teach such subjects.

After I founded gmSTEM, I wanted to do more for the community. I felt that Los Angeles lacked the scaffolding necessary for anyone to pursue a career in tech, whether it was through entrepreneurship or simply working for another tech company.

In 2017, I established a tech company called Creative Spoons, this organization provides a suite of technology and creative services to various businesses across the United States. We generate revenue for these businesses through the design and development of websites, mobile apps, and multimedia content.

In short, I founded the nonprofit to provide underrepresented students with the opportunity to pursue a STEM field and I established a corporation that will be available and willing to hire them upon completion of college.

“Without people from different backgrounds, the tech industry is ill-equipped to address the needs of a diverse population.”

Veronica Green is a Service Representative of the Department of Water and Power, the largest municipally owned utility in the United States. Veronica works in the Los Angeles office and serves the public directly regarding account management and individual transactions.

Veronica began her career at AT&T serving them for well over 20 years in various roles. She last worked for AT&T in 2012 performing duties as a facility administrator, being the liaison between engineering teams and outside technicians to provide available facilities for new and existing construction sites.

Although her career background is in telecommunications, Veronica has a genuine passion in giving back to the same community of Los Angeles, she was born and raised in. She has deep community ties with Los Angeles natives and a strong local network. Veronica is committed to providing quality education and equal access to STEM opportunities to students of diverse backgrounds.

“It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.”
- Maya Angelou

Cameron Jones is a Sports Trust Accountant at Creative Artist Agency (CAA), a leading entertainment and sports agency. Cameron works in the Los Angeles office and serves as an accounting associate to provide accounting services for agents and clients. Some of her duties include logging and maintaining booking reports, processing payments, and generating invoices as well as incoming cash receipts.

She earned her Bachelor’s of Art in Sports Management with a focus in finance at St. John’s University in New York. She then completed her Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Finance and Financial Management, also at St. John’s University.

Although her career background is in the Sports and Entertainment industry, Cameron has a passion for social justice and prison reform. She believes that real social justice starts with the proper education of our youth. In the past Cameron has been part of various funding initiatives for non-profits such as Kids in the Game (King), an organization dedicated to empowering New York City’s youth through sports, creativity, and play.

"We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future."
- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Mercedes Cook is an Associate Attorney in the Los Angeles Office of the Public Defender. She is responsible for protecting the life and liberty of adults and children in matters having penal consequences and ensures equal treatment within the justice system by safeguarding each individual’s statutory and constitutional rights. She also pushes for collaborative and holistic initiatives which addresses underlying causes of contact with the justice system and focus on positive outcomes.

Mercedes began her career in law at Sheppard Mullin Richter and Hampton, joining in 2012. She handled all aspects of litigation from drafting and responding to discovery, to researching relevant law, to composing motions to dismiss, demurrers, and discovery motions, to negotiating settlements. She earned her Bachelors in Arts with a Minor in Forensics and Criminality from the University of Southern California (USC) and earned a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law.

Mercedes Cook was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She takes pride in giving back to her community as she has previously volunteered her time assisting low-income litigants with legal filings and responses. She has also dedicated her time advocating for the reduction of homelessness in Los Angeles. Now she serves on the board of gmSTEM to help close the equity gap in STEM education within under-served communities.

“When you know how to think, it empowers you far beyond those who know only what to think.”

Nannearl Brown is the co-founder of a mobile application called Emma Beauty, an A.I. powered app that helps women select products based on their hair type. Nannearl works remotely and serves as the Director of User Experience, creating a consumer-friendly app based on research, design, and development.

Nannearl began her career as a User Experience Designer for Creative Spoons in 2017, before co-founding her mobile application in 2018. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Science with a concentration in Biomedical Engineering and Biology. While still at the University of Virginia Nannearl went on to complete her Master of Engineering in Systems Engineering. She then completed her Master’s degree in Non-Profit Leadership and Management at the University of Southern, California (USC).

She believes that all students deserve the opportunity to experience the exciting and inspiring aspects of a STEM education. She wants such an education to be provided to everyone regardless of his or her economic standing or educational background. She is also a strong advocate for increasing African American women in STEM fields.

“The man who views the world the same at fifty as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life.”
- Muhammad Ali

Allan Hollis is a software engineer at Northrop Grumman, a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in autonomous systems, cyber, C4ISR, space, strike, and logistics and modernization to customers worldwide. Allan works out of the Los Angeles office and is responsible for the design, develop, debug and test of applications to achieve intricate solutions in the field of aerospace.

Allan began his career as a software engineer at Macy’s in 2013, joining Northrop Grumman in 2016. He graduated from Georgia State University with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, and a concentration in Databases and Knowledge Base Systems.

Allan is a strong advocate for increasing diversity in the tech industry by way of early childhood STEM education. He wants to be a part of providing a safe creative space for youth that encourages community, collaboration, and innovation within the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields.

“No matter where you're from, your dreams are valid.”
- Lupita Nyong'o

Quincy Reid is the co-founder of CodeSwitch Games, an organization that is dedicated to creating opportunity for underserved populations through the development of skills in coding, job pursuit and enabling participants to immediately realize the benefit from their work in the form of rewards tied to effort in the creation of blockchain based games.

Quincy began his career at the City of Los Angeles, working as a Council Deputy. He then decided to pursue a career in technology and enrolled in a coding bootcamp in 2016. He graduated from California State University, Northridge with a degree in Political Science.

He is an avid technologist who wants to share his passion for STEM education with anyone willing to learn.

"Tell Me and I Forget, Teach Me and I Remember, Involve Me and I Learn."
- Benjamin Franklin

Craig Tinsley is an independent game designer and developer. To date, Craig has created two mobile apps called Rap Quest, a Hip-Hop simulation game in which the user builds a rap career through several mini-games by writing lyrics and having freestyle battles among other users.

Craig began his career as a Senior Product Manager at Viacom, home to the leading portfolio of global, multi-platform entertainment brands. He graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Graphics Technology with minors in Art & Design and Computer Applications.

Craig is an immensely talented individual who is dedicated to attracting youth into STEM fields through gaming design and development, an area all students love.

“I love what I do, I do what I love.”