This year, it has been hard for us to watch many SMASH scholars get hit especially hard – from the impact of the COVID pandemic on their families, including job loss, and unstable housing, to the egregious acts of racism they have watched play out in our nation. Amid all the unrest, we are proud that SMASH remains tireless in its work to remove barriers to STEM education for underrepresented students of color, and provides a community of supportive peers and mentors.

We know that SMASH scholars will persevere and continue to inspire by –

• Pursuing STEM degrees in college at 4x the national average
• Completing their college degrees at rates above national averages – 85% graduate within 5 years versus the overall national average of 59% and at rates almost 2x of students from similar backgrounds 
• Building community as evidenced by the 18 recent SMASH alumni who will attend Morehouse College, a private historically black liberal arts college for men, this fall

We are incredibly thankful to our partners at the universities and organizations that support our scholars and have been critical to the expansion of SMASH to communities around the country —

• Over the past five years, in collaboration with leading universities, SMASH has doubled the number of sites, now serving young people around the country
• Our partners, including leading tech and STEM organizations, that provide critical workforce exposure for our alumni in SMASH Rising, preparing them to pursue and persist in STEM careers

Our personal commitment to these dedicated young men and women remains steadfast and we will continue to invest in their future. We are asking you to join us.

We will match donations to SMASH, totaling $500,000, received by July 31, to ensure that underrepresented students of color can continue to rely on SMASH to support their academic and social development.

– Mitch Kapor and Freada Kapor Klein

Please contact Moneese DeLara at Moneese@Kaporcenter.org or call 443.756.7356 for more info.

Thank you for supporting SMASH!