Last week I spent some time with students enrolled in the Purple Maia program at Dole Middle School. I wasn't sure what to expect, so I showed up a few minutes early. Marion Ano was there to introduce me and she encouraged students to ask questions.
Here are some of the questions they asked:
After Q&A, I walked around and checked out what the students were working on. It was a privilege to be invited to visit and I hope to keep in touch with these kids as they grow up.
Purple Maia is a technology education nonprofit working to transform Hawaii’s young thinkers into makers. Their mission is to build pathways of knowledge together with high-opportunity youth in order to help communities thrive. They currently teach beginning programming and computer science at nine locations in schools. They focus their efforts on communities where many students are Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Their focus on students that grow up in adversity reflects their belief that the resilience and perspective of Hawaii’s people will shape the world for the better.
Dole Middle School is a public middle school located in Kalihi Valley on the island of Oahu in Honolulu, Hawaii.