Mission
BranchOut! is a multicultural STEM education program designed to promote STEM learning and address achievement gaps through fostering cultural understanding and civic engagement. As a community outreach initiative for youth, we aim to connect communities by inspiring a passion for learning and creating spaces for collaboration, support, and inspiration.
HISTORY
BranchOut! was formed after a talk by former Dean Jim Ryan of Harvard Graduate School of Education and Dr. Chad Womack of the United Negro College Fund in late 2015. The talk was about how to prepare students for 21st-century careers and develop students’ interest in STEM. Dr. Wu, a Harvard alumna, responded to the call to action. In a few short months, BranchOut! was created to bridge achievement and cultural gaps in the current system.
BranchOut! was established in 2015 and officially launched in 2016 with 20 high school students from the DC area, who served as mentors at the DC International Charter School. Since then, we have expanded to nearly 1,000 student volunteers from six states, serving over 16 locations and organizations, including the Howard County Autism Society and the James Lee Community Center. BranchOut! has four chapters: the main DMV chapter, the Howard County Chapter, the Boston Chapter, and the Baltimore Chapter.
Our program continues to grow with the support of members of Congress and prominent school board officials. Through our student leadership program, we aspire to foster a diverse future in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) education!
Veritas Education Leaders
Veritas Education Leaders is a 501(c)(3) organization and the parent organization of BranchOut!. We believe in the importance of lifelong learning and are committed to pursuing fresh ideas while growing alongside our communities and students. Our aim is to strengthen our student leaders' critical thinking skills and inspire them to lead their best lives. We encourage our students to live ethically, think critically, communicate clearly, and express their creativity, ultimately enabling them to make meaningful contributions to society.
BranchOut! Howard County Chapter
The Howard County Chapter of BranchOut! (BranchOut! HoCo) was established in May of 2019. This chapter is managed by the Howard County Chinese School (HCCS) and has initiated many community outreach projects in the Howard County as well as the Baltimore area since its inception. Under the leadership of Dr. Meina Liu, Ms. Cuiwei Zhao, and other HCCS board members, the chapter started a tutoring program and has been serving the Howard County Autism Society since fall of 2020. BranchOut! is also a proud partner of the Howard County Public School System.
Congratulations BranchOut!
For awarded the Gold Star Group volunteer award
from the Fairfax Neighborhood and Community Services organization.
What Makes BranchOut! Unique?
Guided by education theory:
BranchOut! mentors learn how to teach students of various age groups effectively and are supervised by trained and experienced educators as well as other experts in the fields of mentoring, motivation, learning, and cultural sensitivity.
Cross-Cultural:
BranchOut! is cross-cultural in nature, allowing student mentors to enhance their cultural awareness and communication skills. It is managed and led by a Harvard alum with the aim to address learning and cultural gaps.
Effective:
After the BranchOut! team mentored a group of middle schoolers in a summer remedial program at the DC International School, an analysis conducted by the school found that students who received mentoring from BranchOut! outperformed students who did not by 13 percentile points in math.