Between February and April of 2023, the Stay team participated in our fourth cycle of Odyssey STEM Academy’s mentorship program. Odyssey STEM Academy (OSA) is an innovative high school launched by Paramount Unified School District in the Spring of 2017. They offer a unique mentorship program that provides young scholars with the opportunity to work side-by-side with industry professionals to gain real-world knowledge and skills.

Our team had the opportunity to mentor two groups of mentees for six weeks, every Tuesday and Thursday. Each mentee was paired with one of our art teachers and joined them as a teaching assistant every Tuesday during our after school visual art program in partnership with DFEO. There, they assisted with classroom management and designed their own art lessons to teach to elementary school students. Every Thursday, our mentees joined our executive team at Stay Gallery. We had some wonderful conversations with them about nonprofit leadership, the role the arts play in our society, and the importance of creative expression and identity. We were continuously awed and inspired by the thoughtful insights, visions and dreams they shared with us, and can’t wait to see everything they accomplish in the near future!

To thank our mentees for their time with us, we hosted a street art workshop and potluck on our last few days together. A big thank you to Odyssey STEM Academy for the opportunity and to RD Artist Supply for the water-based spray paint. We look forward to next year!

Photos by Gabriel Enamorado and Juliana Canty.