Today we’d like to introduce you to Saki Milton.
Saki, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My sisters and I refer to my “momma” as a soldier. She got married at 16 after getting pregnant. She was a survivor of domestic abuse, working 2-3 jobs while raising four girls. She never saw herself as a victim, and she never skipped a beat when it came to our education. Saturday’s were reserved for the public library after chores. Growing up in the 80s, I was bussed across town to the magnet “White” elementary and middle schools. Every day was heaven; I still have fond memories of Mrs. Kelly holding science class in the outdoor learning center. I astutely recognized why education was the Holy Grail in our house; intellect afforded access.
Despite leaving my friends, I decided to continue my family’s tradition and graduate from my neighborhood high school, which turned out to be the complete opposite. It was almost an extension of home, in terms of lack. I had an epiphany after just two months of 10th grade: School was not the same; my perceptions and expectations of education were inconsistent with my experiences simply because of where I lived. I eventually ended up with a college education from The University of Texas at Austin and landed a career in corporate America.
In 2005, I abandoned a successful corporate career working for Texas Instruments, Educational Technology business to pursue mathematics teaching. My first two years were in charter schools located in high poverty neighborhoods in south Dallas. It reminded me of my high school experience. I took a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to teach at a K-12 public charter IB World School. It reminded me of my primary and middle school experiences, I had another epiphany, but this time as a teacher: School was not the same; my perceptions and expectations of education were once again inconsistent with my experiences simply because of where I taught.
As a secondary mathematics classroom teacher, every year I saw 1-2 kids in each class who actually wanted to learn. They were focused, studious, hard-working, and hungry for a challenge. Unfortunately, with the challenges many teachers like myself face in an urban classroom, those students are typically the ones who end up getting shafted. Large classroom sizes, disrespect, and lack of resources are issues an urban teacher faces on a daily basis. I know I did. My heart broke every time I saw a girl who reminded me of myself as a student but wasn’t getting the quality education that every child should receive because I was too busy dealing with classroom management or catching up those who were 1-2 grade levels behind. Going home every night knowing that I wanted to do more led me to action.
In 2010, I was teaching at an IB school. I was so moved by my students’ personal projects that I decided to explore my own summer project to give back to those students in my neighborhood. With just $1,000 cash, I approached the Hampton-Illinois Library in Oak Cliff about my concept, and the rest is history. I started The GEMS Camp for the girls who are ridiculed for being smart. Girls who do everything they’re supposed to do, but have to stay in their environments just because they don’t have anywhere else to go. I wanted to give them what was given to me – a quality learning experience that made me curious about the world and compassionate about others in a safe environment.
As a result, GEMS now offers two summer program experiences: Summer Camp Experience and Global Summer STEM Travel. In 2018, eight former GEMS traveled throughout Italy exploring STEM via experiential learning, while 25 middle schools girls participated in the traditional camp program. In 2019, 11 girls will travel to the United Arab Emirates to explore concepts such as innovation, environment, and sustainability (July 5-15), and the summer camp experience will be held July 21-28 at the University of North Texas at Dallas. To date, The GEMS Camp has served roughly 400 girls, exposing them to more than twenty North Texas female STEM professionals representing major corporations and organizations.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I wish I could say that starting a nonprofit while working full-time was easy. I think the hardest thing is just believing in yourself and following your purpose or “calling.” I had no experience managing people, writing technical documents like the 501c3 IRS application, grant writing or fundraising. I quickly learned how to fail forward, an important concept we teach our students. Many times I felt inadequate about running a nonprofit. Even though I was a teacher, I didn’t know how to best serve parents for my “own” thing. Typically, the school would handle parent relations. Financially, we barely had money to offer programs. In 2017, I had to charge a fee to offset the costs of offering the camp. Fortunately, we have been blessed with financial donors to provide scholarships for our students. Without a full-time staff, I have to rely heavily on volunteers. This means I have to keep folks motivated and fully engaged to keep returning.
GEMS CAMP (Girls interested in Engineering, Mathematics, and Science) – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from others?
The mission of The GEMS Camp (Girls interested in Engineering, Mathematics, and Science) is to build confidence in urban teen girls in grades 7-12 through five core areas called the 5 Karat Gems – Academics, Career, Creativity, Leadership, and Service– so that they will be successful in STEM studies and careers. The Organization’s vision is to change the trajectory of generational poverty for underrepresented girls’ families.
The GEMS Camp uses NSLA’s research in addition to other research studies from leading organizations to develop and execute its program design. To graduate girls within the GEMS demographic with the skills needed to be successful in college-level STEM courses and/or the workforce, increased opportunities for learning outside of the school day must be accessible, especially during summer months. Since 2010, GEMS has learned that underrepresented and underserved girls in STEM are especially underprepared academically, emotionally, and socially for higher education.
Unlike most traditional STEM programs that focus solely on hands-on learning activities, The GEMS 5 Karat Curriculum takes a holistic approach to effective STEM education in response to the unique set of family and community factors (Table 1) that can distract these girls away from their studies and aspirations.
Our unique model acknowledges a girl’s historical personal struggle (e.g., poverty, loss of a parent) plus her historical institutional struggle (e.g., discriminatory laws against Blacks), together form her identities-in-practice (what she says about herself and what she does while learning math and science). As such, participation in GEMS helps girls develop positive self-narratives, but also positive narratives of others — racially, ethnically, etc.
We teach girls how to be CREATIVE thinkers and communicators – a valuable life skill to help them break away from the pack. They learn LEADERSHIP strategies through a one-of-a-kind, research-based curriculum addressing specific needs of urban girls. Third, girls participate in SERVICE to help them internalize the value of giving back to a greater cause. The camp also prepares girls through ACADEMICS by using rigorous and engaging lessons and experiments led by highly qualified instructors. And finally, The GEMS Camp addresses CAREER opportunities to its participants by inviting local, successful STEM women to speak about their professions and personal backgrounds.
The program started in 2010 as a Saturday day camp servicing 30 rising 7th-9th-grade girls held at a public library in Dallas, Texas. Since 2017, the model has evolved to a one-week residential Summer Experience program held at the University of North Texas at Dallas. The program concludes with a Graduation Ceremony and Community Exhibition, recognizing girls for completion and achievements throughout the program. The GEMS Camp continues to gain momentum reaching more students while maintaining authenticity to its mission. To date, we have served roughly 400 girls, exposing them to more than 30 North Texas female STEM professionals representing major corporations and organizations such as IBM, Atmos Energy, Frito Lay/Pepsico, Mary Kay, Inc., Hilti, Texas Instruments, HKS Architects and more.
One of our greatest accomplishments is the expansion of our mission to include helping girls build global STEM networks through travel. In June 2018, eight high school girls traveled to Italy (Naples, Rome, and Florence) to explore the “M” in STEM, studying geometric concepts of ancient and modern architecture, technology, and engineering. July 5-15, 2019, ten girls will have the opportunity to participate in a culture exchange in the United Arab Emirates (Dubai and Abu Dhabi) with local female STEM girls, while the Dallas camp will be held, June 21-28, 2019.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
My proudest career moment was making the decision to become a mathematics teacher. In 8.5 years, I grew so much as an individual. Serving students by sharing knowledge is one of the greatest gifts you can give to someone. Not only are you helping the next generation, you are also intervening and assisting students through trials and challenges they are experiencing right now. Teaching also paved the way for me to advance my career internationally. Many people think teachers do not have opportunities outside of the school doors or central administration. Today, with the rise of EdTech, teachers are in high demand as content writers, editors, and consultants. Rather you want to stay in the classroom and make extra money or exit altogether, I am excited about the world of options teachers have today.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1408 N. Riverfront Blvd. #249
Dallas, TX 75207 - Website: www.thegemscamp.org
- Phone: 469-203-2250
- Email: info@thegemscamp.org
- Instagram: /gemscamp
- Facebook: /thegemscamp
- Twitter: /thegemscamp
Image Credit:
The GEMS Camp
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