Σmpowering Future Scientists.

Hello, all! My name is Alexandria Becks, and I am incredibly thankful to be acting as the President of the Aurora branch of J-KOA this 2026-2027 academic year. I was lucky enough to join J-KOA two years ago as a mentor. I have always felt that scientific outreach is important; without it, I wouldn’t be in this position in my career as a PhD candidate. I am lucky enough that my family is incredibly supportive, but before me, none of my family or friends had entered science as

As I sit down to write this year's reflection, I can't help but chuckle a bit; the year most definitely does not end in July, and yet the fact that it's already been a year is still hard for me to process. Growing up, I never envisioned that my life would look like this: teaching young kids about STEM, running outreach events, and talking with others about the challenges science education faces in reaching younger audiences. If anything, my biggest dream was simply to be some

We Did It! After months of planning, ups and downs, and a crew fueled by nothing more than hope and passion, we are thrilled to share that Bay Koa successfully hosted its first event on April 22nd, 2026, at the Yolo County Library in Clarksburg, and we are beyond grateful to them for welcoming us on such a special day. If you are curious about how it all came together, you are in the right place. Let's dive into what the behind-the-scenes and the big day itself were really li