Samuel Worley loves to compose all types of music and would like to build a synthesizer someday. Chad Velez is passionate about the founding of America and hopes to become a lawyer. And Jeremiah Green loves fishing and is only one rank away from earning the rank of Eagle Scout.

All three teens’ varied interests are served by Bridges to Science (B2S), a STEM nonprofit that supports the homeschool community in Houston. Rosa Aristy, a data scientist who homeschools her own children, leads the non-profit, where she encourages homeschooling families in underserved communities with STEM learning.  

Serving 90 Zip Codes

The nonprofit was inspired by a small homeschooling club Rosa started in 2018 called Katy Math Circle. In addition to teaching math herself, she invited math professors and speakers to teach the students, including Samuel, Jeremiah, and Chad. Each of them loved the club because of the innovative presentation, with hands-on and project-oriented coursework.

The club became B2S in 2020, and incorporated coding, robotics, and engineering into its subject matter. The nonprofit has grown significantly in the past few years and will celebrate its fourth anniversary at the end of February.

“We started serving homeschooling families from only six different zip codes in west Houston,” Rosa said. “Now, we’re serving families from over 90 zip codes throughout the whole city.”

(Learn how STEM can spark inquiry, curiosity, and problem-solving in kids at any age by viewing our webinar on the topic here.)

Samuel, Chad, and Jeremiah have done all sorts of things through B2S, from programming an autonomous race car, to winning 6th place in a year-long Stock Market Game competition in Houston, to teaching coding and math to younger students as B2S’s youth ambassadors.

They love being a part of a community where students, not just educators, support each other in the learning process and work together to achieve their goals. B2S has also come alongside each of them as they pursue their individual passions.

Rosa, Jeremiah, Chad, and Samuel celebrating their win at The Stock Market Game.

Samuel: The Music Composer

When Samuel Worley was 6 years old, his parents realized a traditional school wasn’t going to satisfy his educational needs. He loved to seek knowledge and was self-motivated in his education. They worried he would be easily bored at school, and decided to try homeschooling. They never went back.

“It’s been awesome. I’ve been able to pretty much just pick whatever I want to learn in a given time,” Samuel, now a 17-year-old, said. He particularly appreciates the role B2S played in developing his passion for STEM-related activities and building things.

He loves programming and creating all sorts of things related to music. He has played the piano for 12 years, built two guitars, and is currently taking on the challenge of digitally composing a new song every day of the year and creating 3D animations for it (which he then uploads to a YouTube channel he created). One of his dreams is to build a synthesizer someday.

He isn’t afraid to try new things, and this is largely due to the mindset that Rosa and the peer-led community at B2S fosters. “It’s a culture where everyone is uplifting all the time,” he said. “If there is any concept you don’t understand, there’s always someone who will explain it, and they’ll explain it lovingly.”

Samuel’s mom, Debbie, agreed: “Rosa’s so great at teaching the boys collaboration, pouring confidence into them, and always showing them the bigger picture.”

Samuel is excited to begin his college adventure next fall, hoping to attend the University of Houston. After college, he plans to earn his doctorate in computer engineering and AI and wishes to ultimately use his knowledge for the betterment of his community.

Chad: The Patrick Henry Fan

Homeschooling has opened many doors for 16-year-old Chad Velez, including his interest in American history and the Founding Father Patrick Henry. “I probably wouldn’t have discovered my passion for history and politics if it wasn’t for homeschooling,” he said.

One book series that inspired Chad's love of history was written by Jenny Cote. In 2017, he traveled to meet Cote in person and even toured Patrick Henry’s home in Virginia. He was also able to meet a direct relative of Patrick Henry.

Chad has won two contests organized by Jenny Cote, which had hundreds of participants worldwide. He won “Advanced Reader” in both of them, which allowed him to read the author’s next books before they were published and share feedback about them with her.

While visiting Virginia to meet Cote, Chad was also able to visit Patrick Henry College (PHC). He’s been interested in attending PHC since he found out about it online when he was in the 7th grade. Back then, he emailed PHC’s admissions team to ask about their requirements. And during his visit in 2017, he was surprised to see his email printed out and put on the refrigerator of the admissions team's office.

It’s no surprise Chad wants to double major in economics and business analytics and American politics and policy. After college, he plans to attend law school at Texas State, Liberty University, or Baylor.   ​

He said he’s particularly thankful for B2S because it’s helped him develop skills he’ll need to become a lawyer. “Law involves a lot of logic and rhetoric, and I learned a lot of this through STEM, by solving problems,” he said.

He also appreciates growing in virtue and learning how to be humble by teaching the younger generations in B2S. “It’s not always about myself,” he said.

“Rosa is such an amazing person with a heart of gold,” Chad’s mom, María, added. “Bridges to Science is what it is because it’s a reflection of her personality.”

Jeremiah: The Animal Whisperer

Tara Green decided to homeschool Jeremiah when he was in elementary school to spend more time together as a family. Jeremiah, now a 10th-grader, is especially thankful for this because he’s been able to customize his education toward his primary interests.  

“I’ve been able to do more of the work I like to do, like geography and languages,” he said. “I also have more flexibility to go fishing and camping.”

Jeremiah is a member of the Order of the Arrow (an honors program with the Boy Scouts of America) and is closing in on becoming an Eagle Scout—the highest rank in the Boy Scouts. Throughout his journey with the Boy Scouts, he’s been able to help a local fishing organization in his hometown and has even helped the Boy Scouts come up with ideas to organize fishing tournaments.

He’s also passionate about wildlife. “He can hold and touch all sorts of animals and they stay with him,” Tara said. “If you ever see a show that’s called ‘The Animal Whisperer with Jeremiah Green,’ then you know who it is!” Tara said.

Jeremiah developed an interest in math mainly because of Katy Math Circle. “Mrs. Rosa did math in a cool way,” he said.

During COVID-19, Rosa went the extra mile, delivering packages with manipulatives and crafts to students' homes so that they could keep learning amidst the pandemic, Tara added.

As a youth ambassador for B2S, Jeremiah has learned to apply his teaching skills in different aspects of his life, from teaching his three younger siblings at home to instructing the younger boys at Boy Scouts. This experience has also pushed him to be more creative.

“I’ve learned fun ways to do math and geometry, and teach in creative ways,” he said.

Apart from fishing and teaching in B2S, Jeremiah loves participating in leadership training. He completed the National Youth Leadership program, which trains Boy Scouts how to lead better, run a group effectively, and be part of a team.

“It’s been amazing to see him being able to grow in the things that he loves,” Tara said.

With his passion for wildlife, Jeremiah is interested in studying marine biology at Texas A&M University, but is still very open to alternative career plans.

A STEM fiesta!

B2S has grown so much in these past four years that Rosa hosted their first science festival in 2023, called Houston Science Festival. Or in her words: “A STEM fiesta!”

The festival was organized as a celebration of Hispanic culture and homeschooling and as a means for homeschooling families in underserved communities to learn about STEM. It included family-friendly science activities, workshops, a STEM career panel, and Hispanic food.

Jeremiah and Chad at the Houston Science Festival.

Rosa hadn’t thought of hosting a citywide event until Karim Morato, HSLDA’s Hispanic Outreach Coordinator, encouraged her. Rosa and her B2S partners had been trying to talk about creative learning and coding at homeschooling conferences and asked Karim if she knew of any conference organizers interested in the idea.

“In hearing this, amazing Karim suggested we launch an event ourselves,” Rosa said. “So, I came back with the idea of offering a STEM fiesta for Houston—the Houston Science Festival—which is a larger version of our signature outreach program, Bridges to Science Family Fiestas.”

So, Rosa, her husband, and B2S partners and volunteers threw themselves into the task of organizing the event for the whole city, prioritizing underprivileged families. The event was a success. More than 400 participants attended, as well as a variety of exhibitors, including the Houston Museum of Natural Science, Texas A&M University, and HSLDA.

“HSLDA’s Compassion grant made it possible for homeschool families to explore the wonders of science at the Houston Science Festival” Rosa said. “It’s been wonderful to spark the love for science and knowledge to homeschool students and their families.”

Read more about Rosa’s story and the origins of Bridges to Science here.