Article from WTOP

At the beginning of the pandemic, a Montgomery County, Maryland, teenager wanted to help fellow students learn about science, technology, engineering and math. To do this, she created her own online program. Sarah Bagheri is a rising senior at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Olney. When the pandemic started, she had an idea.

“I feel like we were launched into a pandemic, and no one was ready for it,” Bagheri said. “I wanted all kids to have free access to education.”

So she and her older brother Brandon started MoCo Scientists for Kids. It’s a half-hour video program hosted every other week through Webex, a web-conferencing platform. In the program, Bagheri talks live with experts in the STEM fields. Students can also join in and ask their own questions. “If they miss it, I also post podcasts of it online,” she said.

Sarah Bagheri started MoCo Scientists for Kids at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bagheri says she wants to become a physician one day, so producing the program has helped her, as well. “I really want to make an impact on everyone,” Bagheri said. “So I wanted to teach other kids about the different aspects of STEM.”

Topics and experts featured on MoCo Scientists for Kids range from areas of health care, veterinary medicine, marine biology, artificial intelligence and more. “I’ve definitely learned a lot … It just like really impacts me when I listen to them,” Bagheri said. The program is open to students of all ages. You can find a schedule for the next episode on the MoCo Scientists for Kids website.