Creating for the Future: Aspire Officially Opens New Makerspace

Last week, Aspire proudly opened the doors to Arlington’s first no-cost Makerspace that’s designed for and accessible to 3rd-8th grade students, and we’re so excited for what the space will make possible!

This space is designed to spark creativity, curiosity, and confidence in historically underserved students. We developed the idea, the plans, the design, and the final product in close partnership with our students, families, teachers, and community members, hearing what they dreamed of for this space and what they wanted more of from Aspire. Now that it’s finally open, kids can’t wait to use it!

At Aspire, we believe every child, and by extension their families and communities, deserves the opportunity to dream big and to access the tools and support that help bring those dreams to life. This Makerspace is a tangible reflection of our values: equity, growth, and excellence through education.

We’re deeply grateful our partnership with Amazon; AT&T; Ginger Geoffrey and John Andelin; HDR Architecture, Inc; HDR Foundation; HITT Contracting; The Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, and many wonderful individual supporters, foundations, community members, students, and parents who stood beside us and believed in our vision. Thanks to them, we now have a place where students can explore STEM, bridge the imagination gap, and see themselves as the innovators, leaders, and problem-solvers of tomorrow.

To share what this space really means for our community, we’ve collected a few stories from students, parents, and a local leader about why this space is more important than ever in today’s world.

Stories from our community

“I’m really excited for the Makerspace room because we’ll be able to do science!” – Aspire student

“I like to learn by doing things instead of reading about them.” – Aspire student

“I’m excited for the Makerspace so that we can work on big art projects!” – Aspire student

“Having the opportunity to have my child be part of a program that offers STEM means she has an opportunity to explore science, technology, engineering and math at a different level which today seems like a curiosity tomorrow will be a window of opportunity to become more then what I was able to.  As a young girl she can dream big and know her future is brighter, and she will be able to crack glass ceilings! I’m so thankful Aspire is able to provide her the opportunity and wings for her future!” – Ms. Cejas, Aspire parent

“I think it is important that both children and the community have access to resources like this of education and continuous improvement… today we live in a world that needs more prepared people and what better than starting with our children and helping our adults. Education is the most valuable weapon we can have to defend ourselves 💛” – Daniela, Aspire parent

“Aspire’s Makerspace is a necessary and holistic expansion of our programs in our efforts to close opportunity gaps. The Makerspace will be a new vibrant hub for our students where they can discover, create, and learn through hands-on STEM exploration, opening paths to STEM career interests and pursuits.  By opening this same space to the community, we will create a collaborative space for lifelong learning and community partnerships in pursuit of closing gaps and ensuring access to tools for success to all.” – Tannia Talento, Aspire Board of Directors Vice Chair & Community Leader

Insight from Anna Faulkner, Program Director

As Aspire works to expand our STEM programming and ensure students can dream big, our Program Director shares about why this work is vital and how it ties into Aspire’s mission, existing work, and values.

Throughout my nine years at Aspire, I have seen students become less curious about the world around them, less inquisitive, and more dependent on the opinions of their peers and social media influencers. Since the pandemic, I’ve also seen students starting at Aspire further behind in reading and math. Having the Makerspace gives us the opportunity to address these concerns more intentionally and in ways that are aligned with our values.

• First of all, this space will allow us to make learning more fun for our students. We’ll be able teach all kinds of academic skills doing activities such as design projects, cooking classes, and media projects. This brings authenticity and excitement to projects that promote students’ engagement.
• We are promoting excellence by having the best equipment and tools we can give our students to help them explore and create. We also expect our students to excel in their academic performance as they gain more confidence practicing the scientific method and the engineering design process.
• Not only does this space benefit our students our now, but it gives them broader visions for their own futures. By helping students see themselves as scientists and thinkers now, we are giving them imagination and access for STEM careers in the future.
• Our goal is to partner with business and organizations that are already doing STEM education to bring our students the most-up-to-date knowledge and tools. We also want to connect with other organizations in the community that can use our space to benefit as many people in our community as possible.
• All of these will foster growth in our students, our families, our organization, and our community at large as we work together to help our young people become critical thinkers and life-long learners.

Looking forward

This past year has been challenging for Aspire, with federal cuts to AmeriCorps and ongoing funding uncertainty making it harder for us to serve our students. But this Makerspace is a bright spot. We know that this is not the time to give into fear and uncertainty. We must lean into the work that we know makes a difference, believe wholeheartedly in our students, and provide a safe place where they can be free to make mistakes and learn from them. In this Makerspace, students will learn about new careers, new possibilities, and new futures.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this possible, and we look forward to sharing future updates about what students are doing in this space!