Aisha Bowe’s LINGO: Empowering a New Generation of STEM Innovators

*“With 80% of future jobs projected to require STEM skills, LINGO is a scalable solution for schools and homes that provides learners with exposure to emerging technologies while building the skills and confidence they need to thrive.”* # **A Journey Defined by Determination and Vision**  In today's world, technological advancement has reshaped countless fields, making [STEM](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science,_technology,_engineering,_and_mathematics) skills more crucial than ever. However, access to quality STEM education remains limited, particularly for students from underserved communities who lack resources and real-world learning opportunities.  Aisha Bowe, a former NASA aerospace engineer and black woman entrepreneur, understands this struggle firsthand.   Aisha's journey began in a community college where educational resources were scarce. Despite these challenges, she pursued her passion for science and mathematics, earning a [Bachelor of Science](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachelor_of_Science) in [Aerospace Engineering](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerospace_engineering) and a Master's in Space Systems Engineering. Her dedication led her to [NASA's Ames Research Center](https://www.nasa.gov/ames/), where she made significant contributions to traffic management systems.   Yet, despite her success, Aisha felt a deep sense of unfulfillment.  She yearned to make a greater impact, driven by a desire to help her community overcome the educational disparities she had witnessed. Aisha's commitment to STEM education was solidified by her experiences at [NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/).  She saw firsthand the lack of access and opportunity for students from marginalized communities, especially those who lacked the resources and support to pursue STEM careers.  Determined to bridge this gap, Aisha founded LINGO in 2020.   Inspired by her own journey and the challenges she had faced, she aimed to create a platform that would make STEM education accessible and engaging for all students, igniting their passion for learning and innovation. ## **The Vision Behind LINGO** A trailblazing aerospace engineer and entrepreneur, Aisha Bowe has dedicated her career to making STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education accessible and engaging for all.  As the Founder and CEO of LINGO, she leads a dynamic team committed to transforming how students interact with technology.  Aisha's journey from a community college student to a NASA rocket scientist exemplifies resilience and determination. Her passion for STEM education led her to establish LINGO to provide learners worldwide with hands-on kits, real-world projects that ignite a love for technology.  **Under her leadership, LINGO has become a beacon for inclusive and diverse STEM communities, expanding career possibilities for learners of all ages**. The core value of LINGO is to break down STEM education through interactive, hands-on learning kits. These kits are designed to simplify complex scientific theories into practical applications.  **Through carefully blended software, hardware, and tutorials, students can be taught how to code, design, draw, and build using experimental technologies.**  Of all the LINGO kits, the standup kit is the "In the Driver's Seat." This kit offers tools for students to design and program a designated backup sensor for autonomous vehicles.  As they do this, they gain first-hand experiences in coding, electronics, and the foundational knowledge necessary for automation. They become familiar with the concept of coding. As they do this, they get more and more acquainted with how the tools work  LINGO's methods for innovative technology effectively dissect STEM concepts by making them more practical.  Every LINGO kit is designed to give learners a step-by-step guide on navigating through while being engaging and interactive.  Aisha Bowe encapsulates the essence of this educational revolution when she asserts, Aisha Bowe asserts that:  *"With 80% of future jobs projected to require STEM skills, LINGO is a scalable solution for schools and homes that provides learners with exposure to emerging technologies while building the skills and confidence they need to thrive."*  ### **Expanding the Reach: Global Impact and Strategic Partnerships** Since its introduction in 2020, LINGO has made it possible for over 10,000 students in more than 10 countries to have access to improved educational resources.  Looking at this based on the level of impact and not statistics, these numbers represent the young people who have been inspired in various fields to build and create their unique ideas.  **LINGO's success and growth have been supported through partnerships** with educational institutions like Howard University. They have also collaborated with notable institutions like General Dynamics Information Technology and Siemens Healthineers to make LINGO tools available on different platforms and retail outlets like [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com)  and [Walmart](https://www.walmart.com) have easily made LINGO kits available to learners, educators, and parents.  ### **Investment and Future Prospects** LINGO has secured a $2.3 million investment as of November 2024. This funding was championed by [Pinnacle private ventures](https://pinnaclefamilyadvisors.com) and endorsed by 1863 Ventures, Sequoia Capital (through the Scout program), and Apple engineer Dr. Joy Johnson.  This funding is beneficial for students and essential for promoting the company and expanding its reach. Through this funding, LINGO can; **Curriculum Expansion:** These findings will help LINGO broaden its scope of educational kits to include solutions to highly advanced topics ranging from artificial intelligence to mathematics to environmental analytics.  **Increased Production and Accessibility:** Through additional resources and materials, LINGO aims to increase production to reach millions of students and make it easy for them to solve their everyday STEM questions.  **Innovation in Learning Tools:** With new and updated formats and methods, LINGO also plans on exploring how they can make STEM education more practical and engaging.  With this, Aisha can now cover for the educational needs of most of the kids she and her team trains in STEM.  #### **The LINGO Team: Diverse Experts Driving Innovation** Even though Aisha had the zeal to go forth and work on LINGO alone. LINGO has been built by a team of highly dedicated and experienced professionals who pour out their depth of experience and shared vision into STEM education **Dr. Jarvis Sulcer, Co-Founder & Chief Operations Officer:** With a background marked by overcoming the academic challenges of having to graduate college with a CGPA of 1.8, Dr. Sulcer doubles as an award-winning black entrepreneur and engineer.  He is not only dedicated to providing learning opportunities to young people, but he is particularly interested in providing young people of color with access to essential STEM learning opportunities.  **Micah Gray, Lead Content Developer:** A data scientist and intelligence analyst, Micah plays a pivotal role in creating LINGO's educational content.Gray is vested in key aspects of STEM like course development.  **He has built the course development for Lingo from Ideas, project design, lesson flow, and suitable video lessons to make learning practical and interesting.**  **Dr. Natoshia Anderson, Director of Programming & Partnerships:** Transitioning from a mechanical engineer to an award-winning STEM educator, Dr. Anderson advocates for gender equity and diversity in STEM.  She provides professional and intensive leadership development coaching for women of color interested in step. Additionally, she also led the curriculum and program development initiatives for STEM. #### **Inspiring the Future, One Kit at a Time**  Aisha's brainchild, LINGO, is more than just an educational kit. It's a tool that empowers, builds resilience, and ignites passion in its users through carefully structured kits.  With this, young learners from marginalized communities who do not have opportunities for STEM can be included.  Students accessing LINGO's hands-on kits can learn while having fun and collaborating with other learners. In STEM, they learn that failing, learning, and experimenting is okay, so there is room for growth and expression. LINGO has the potential to rebuild, support innovations, and also drive community growth ### **Looking to Tomorrow: The Future of LINGO** Over time, as LINGO continues to evolve, Aisha Bowe and her team plan on expanding **LINGO's curriculum to support new fields in biotech and environmental analytics.**  For Aisha Bowe and LINGO, there is still so much we can look forward to in the future. She envisions a platform where learners can access the best educational materials irrespective of race or skin color.  In the future, LINGO will enhance and introduce advanced learning tools to create a platform for interacting to give room for user inputs, thereby leading to rapid technological developments.  Consistent refining LINGO will become essential in helping to build a new generation of tech experts, problem solvers, and innovative leaders.  Beyond her innovations with LINGO, Aisha is a motivational speaker, and added to her portfolio is Astronaut. She believes in breaking barriers and shutting down stereotypes.  She hopes to set an example for every young person inspired to do something different in the next generation and many more to come.  ### Aisha Bowe’s journey is a testament to resilience and innovation, inspiring the next generation to pursue STEM fearlessly. LINGO is not only transforming STEM education but also empowering individuals to realize their full potential in the fields of science and technology.