By: Ani Janakiraman ’26
One of the world’s most prominent peacekeeping figures, Nelson Mandela, once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Today, millions of individuals value a meaningful education and put forth considerable effort to fight for it. But the reality is much harsher. Not everyone possesses the income for a high-quality education, lives in an area with quality schools, or attains equal opportunities. A report from the United Nations confirms that an “estimated 300 million children and young people will still lack basic numeracy and literacy skills by 2030.”
But change can’t just happen on the federal level. Communities need to come together, fight, and work to democratize access to education. And at Bellarmine, students are working together to advocate and help serve their communities in what they truly care about.
Ryan Kim ’26 and Marc Pashin ’26 started the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization STEM For Others in order to address gaps in students’ education and to serve underprivileged communities in the Bay Area. So far, the organization has mentored over 15,500 students, has established 35 school chapters, has volunteered over 5,000 hours, and has established both domestic and international programs. Most recently, Pashin even was featured on NBC. The Bell Online got the opportunity to interview both Kim and Pashin to understand their experiences with their non-profit.
© Caleb Wang ’26
When asked what motivated them to start STEM For Others, both Kim and Pashin explained that in their freshman year service with young children, “they identified a gap where students didn’t receive attention from teaches especially in underprivileged areas.” With their non-profit, it was difficult to get started at first. They would “get schools started on their own, volunteer 1-2 hours a day, and attempt to recruit more volunteers.” Initially, they struggled to expand past California, but after building up a strong network of volunteers, they’ve established 5-10 chapters in California and have expanded nationwide in Texas, Washington, Pennsylvania, and several more states. But Kim and Pashin also started this with a purpose: to create meaningful experiences for students. Kim in particular notes a special experience with one student: “Gayel’s school doesn’t provide coding opportunities, so it was exciting to see him learn using STEM 4 Other’s lessons and coding modules. [They] actively instilled confidence into him.” Pashin noted mechanical engineering and ecology as potential niche courses to captivate students and introduce them to new topics. STEM 4 Others challenges traditional teaching methods, tailoring curriculum to students and focusing on engagement. Both Kim and Pashin described that their “curriculum stands out and is more unique. [They] present some content through an organization app called STEMPlore which gamifies learning. For this app, “one can access curriculum at any place in the world at any time. The development of the app started in May 2024 and was published in around June.” Now with their special team of software developers, Kim and Pashin “hope to launch an iOS and to the Apple App Store.”
Kim and Pashin don’t want their efforts to stop there. Since last summer, they both have contributed to a STEM For Others summer program. At the free of charge program, roughly fifteen to twenty students explore computers deeply at current schools. On the same topic of computers and coding, Kim and Pashin are excited for future collaborations where they plan to “host a hackathon, pursue opportunities with Lancer Hacks, and partner with more elementary and middle schools.” They both also teased a speaker series with local nonprofits that advocate for education literacy. For curriculum, the two reflect on goals and experiences to improve the organization collectively. STEM For Others can “improve by making curriculum a bit more engaging. Google slides and STEMPlore aspects are created by high schoolers and college students, so [we] want to transition toward a less lecture heavy format and build up toward a project-based curriculum.” As a student myself, I talked with the two on how I’ve observed a similar shift at Bellarmine. I’ve noticed how many STEM classes be it in biology, chemistry, or even math enhance student skills by emphasizing practical aspects that apply to real-world problems.
© Robin Klingauf
To cap off the interview, Kim and Pashin expressed gratitude and offered advice for students in the same boat. Kim thanked his parents because Marc and him “didn’t know how to run a non-profit at first, file paperwork, and complete more technical tasks. [They] significantly helped with legal technicalities.” Kim’s journey with STEM 4 Others has been less individual and more collective because “it’s a joy to see a smile on someone’s face and the people we work with. Since the organization is at several hundred volunteers, it’s truly inspiring to see how schools are finding themselves.” Pashin, on the other hand, credited Kim as a co-partner for helping each other grow as individuals. They bounced ideas off each other and grew from the initial hurdles they experienced. Since the two are headed to college in a year, I asked them what they expect to happen within leadership: Kim tells the Bell Online that both he and Pashin will be “hands off the organization a bit more. We might appoint another president, but we will still be involved. I expect myself to look after this organization even as a growth member.” Pashin delivered a similar response, but he “wants to continue making key decisions in helping the organization grow and supporting members in the US.”
Finally, the two hammered down on important takeaways for people hoping to start non-profits. Marc concluded with encouragement for being genuine in starting an organization like his: “It’s crucial to simply care about the problem. If you do it just to put on your resume or for college, you will struggle even more when times get hard. When you don’t care about the problem at hand, you will struggle and just say ‘it’s hard.’ If you continue through passion and carry through, the impact if infinitely stronger.”
Ryan agreed but offered a piece of advice that I will end the article with: “Khan Academy and Facebook weren’t created overnight. It took a long time to create and the same goes for STEM For Others. You might have to work long hours, but all it takes is consistency. Keep improving by 1% each day and the future is in your hands.”
Ani is the Arts and Senior Editor for the Bell Online. In his free time, he enjoys playing sports with his friends. He consistently publishes articles about campus events, clubs, and a variety of topics.