About Us
Our mission, our story, and the people behind AVELA.
Our Story
AVELA began in 2018 when our founders led pre-college STEM outreach at the University of Washington, and took its name from a student at Sinethemba Secondary School in Philippi, South Africa, whose resilience embodied the spirit of Ubuntu. What started as a UW student group has since grown into an independent nonprofit with a statewide and growing national reach.
The Problem
Unequal technology access for Black and Latin 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.
Our Values
Ubuntu
Empowering Students to Give
Community
Building bonds in Diversity
Integrity
Using excellence in all we do
The AVELA Model
AVELA’s model connects four groups in a single ecosystem of mentorship and access. Secondary school students engage with near-peer instructors who embody their own communities, learning STEM through interactive, experiential lessons rather than lectures. Undergraduate students lead this outreach directly by co-instructing classes and driving enrollment. Graduate students provide a layer of near-peer mentorship above them, with student mentors compensated for their time so they can sustain their community work.
Underpinning it all is a research-driven foundation: culturally responsive lesson plans built and refined through an ongoing social-good research project. The result is a pipeline where underrepresented students see themselves reflected at every level, build real technical and communication skills along the way
Empower the next generation
of STEM students
Your support creates more opportunities for students to
explore STEM through various hands-on experiences