Program areas at Smash
Smash academy - Smash academy is a three-year enrichment program for low-income high school students from backgrounds underrepresented in stem fields. Smash scholars start in the program in ninth grade, continuing through their senior year. Over the three-year period, scholars receive more than 1,000 hours of stem coursework, mentorship, and leadership development.primary programming is held during the summer, where Smash scholars live on a college campus for five weeks each summer for three years. Our university partners hosting our scholars each year include: uc berkeley, stanford university, uc davis, morehouse college, Illinois Institute of technology, northeastern university, university of Michigan, and spelman college.during the academic year, on saturdays, Smash scholars participate in college success workshops, which cover topics such as financial aid, college visits, and college fit. They also participate in computer science workshops.in 2022, Smash has begun to explore virtual programs for our scholars in certain cities, including detroit, mi and philadelphia, pa.
Smash alumni program - when Smash academy scholars graduate, they join the Smash alumni program. The flagship program, Smash rising, is an early-stage workplace readiness program that equips Smash alumni with the critical skills needed to design solutions for partnered companies. We place pods (teams) of Smash alumni at workplaces to provide internship preparation and workplace exposure early in their college careers.this is a paid internship for Smash academy alumni entering their first and second years of college. Supported by dedicated Smash hired and trained project managers, the program provides the pods with the opportunity to put the skills developed at Smash academy into action. Scholar-interns develop new ideas and create innovative solutions from the challenges provided by our partners.