Niesha Butler Opens First Afro-Latinx Owned Education Center In NYC

WNBA star turned software engineer, Neisha Butler, recently announced the opening of her educational center, S.T.E.A.M. Champs in New York, dedicated to kickstarting Brooklyn kids’ learning development in coding, robotics, and app development. 

The educational center in Downton Brooklyn specializes in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM). The establishment aims to nurture future industry leaders by giving them a head start in reading data and developing solutions to complex problems, all necessary skills needed to help kickstart their future careers. 

“We’re excited to bring quality STEM curriculum to the Brooklyn and Greater New York City kids; as a kid growing up in this same neighborhood, we were always encouraged to play sports,” said founder Niesha Butler in a statement. 

“Under 1% of kids go pro or get a college scholarship after playing basketball. If you look around Brooklyn, you see a lot of basketball courts, but we rarely see quality STEM education, and that’s what we’re doing here.”  

S.T.E.A.M. Champs officially opened on July 16 and has created a curriculum that integrates computational thinking with fun sports and art-focused themes. In addition, the syllabus encourages a “champion mindset,” which teaches the children that hard work and determination will help them receive endless opportunities.

The educational center not only provides students with tailor-made learning sessions but also offers parental learning classes paired with courses such as digital art, chess, LEGO, coding, and robotics. 

Butler hopes this venture will help the educational process for Black and Brown students, providing them with transferrable skills that will help them successfully occupy STEM positions across the country.