Dear Georgia Engineering Foundation, It is with great satisfaction that I am writing this letter in support of Kimani Coates. For nearly 5 years, I have served as the Director of the Summer Math and Science Honors (SMASH) Program at Morehouse which Kimani was a part of from 2018 through 2020. SMASH is a 3+ year STEM-intensive residential college and career prep program that empowers students to deepen their talents and pursue STEM careers. Every summer, scholars live on the campuses of leading universities throughout the country for 5 weeks, taking courses such as Math, Design Thinking and Computer Science. During the academic year, scholars continue their development with monthly workshops centered around college access and navigation and critical thinking. During the summers prior to and following their senior year of high school, scholars have the opportunity to intern with a tech company SMASH has partnered with through our SMASH Rising program. One of the greatest privileges of my professional career is being part of dozens of young men’s personal growth over several years. Kimani has grown immensely as a coder and leader since I met him. Kimani entered SMASH as a high academic achiever with low confidence in his ability to code and be a competent Computer Engineer. Although his passion and work ethic were never in question, Kimani needed to grow his belief in himself and ultimately became a certified game developer through the software company, Unity. While he was able to rely heavily on his raw talent at school, SMASH also forced him to develop his leadership faculties. SMASH provided him with that opportunity through group projects during SMASH Academy and his internship with Zymergen through SMASH Rising. He successfully navigated various roles within his project groups and led his team to a 3rd place finish in our site’s design thinking competition in his final summer with SMASH Academy in 2020. Kimani realized through these experiences that he has agency and I witnessed him exercise his agency by shifting his focus and approach, when necessary, to successfully guide his team. Kimani has also taken advantage of every opportunity SMASH has offered to further develop his professional skills and strengthen his network. Merging his strong technical skills, relentless pursuit of knowledge and development as a capable leader and professional make Kimani Coates a future Computer Engineer with boundless potential. Undoubtedly, Kimani will continue to excel academically and personally as he continues his educational journey. He is as dedicated to realizing his fullest potential as he is a brilliant young man and it would be invaluable to those Kimani will impact in the future for him to be a Georgia Engineering Foundation Scholarship recipient. In Community & Excellence, Brian Garrett, PhD SMASH Regional Program Director, East Site Director, SMASH Morehouse email: brian@smash.org cell: 919-608-0556
Dear Georgia Engineering Foundation, It is with great satisfaction that I am writing this letter in support of Kimani Coates. For nearly 5 years, I have served as the Director of the Summer Math and Science Honors (SMASH) Program at Morehouse which Kimani was a part of from 2018 through 2020. SMASH is a 3+ year STEM-intensive residential college and career prep program that empowers students to deepen their talents and pursue STEM careers. Every summer, scholars live on the campuses of leading universities throughout the country for 5 weeks, taking courses such as Math, Design Thinking and Computer Science. During the academic year, scholars continue their development with monthly workshops centered around college access and navigation and critical thinking. During the summers prior to and following their senior year of high school, scholars have the opportunity to intern with a tech company SMASH has partnered with through our SMASH Rising program. One of the greatest privileges of my professional career is being part of dozens of young men’s personal growth over several years. Kimani has grown immensely as a coder and leader since I met him. Kimani entered SMASH as a high academic achiever with low confidence in his ability to code and be a competent Computer Engineer. Although his passion and work ethic were never in question, Kimani needed to grow his belief in himself and ultimately became a certified game developer through the software company, Unity. While he was able to rely heavily on his raw talent at school, SMASH also forced him to develop his leadership faculties. SMASH provided him with that opportunity through group projects during SMASH Academy and his internship with Zymergen through SMASH Rising. He successfully navigated various roles within his project groups and led his team to a 3rd place finish in our site’s design thinking competition in his final summer with SMASH Academy in 2020. Kimani realized through these experiences that he has agency and I witnessed him exercise his agency by shifting his focus and approach, when necessary, to successfully guide his team. Kimani has also taken advantage of every opportunity SMASH has offered to further develop his professional skills and strengthen his network. Merging his strong technical skills, relentless pursuit of knowledge and development as a capable leader and professional make Kimani Coates a future Computer Engineer with boundless potential. Undoubtedly, Kimani will continue to excel academically and personally as he continues his educational journey. He is as dedicated to realizing his fullest potential as he is a brilliant young man and it would be invaluable to those Kimani will impact in the future for him to be a Georgia Engineering Foundation Scholarship recipient. In Community & Excellence, Brian Garrett, PhD SMASH Regional Program Director, East Site Director, SMASH Morehouse email: brian@smash.org cell: 919-608-0556
Dear Georgia Engineering Foundation, It is with great satisfaction that I am writing this letter in support of Kimani Coates. For nearly 5 years, I have served as the Director of the Summer Math and Science Honors (SMASH) Program at Morehouse which Kimani was a part of from 2018 through 2020. SMASH is a 3+ year STEM-intensive residential college and career prep program that empowers students to deepen their talents and pursue STEM careers. Every summer, scholars live on the campuses of leading universities throughout the country for 5 weeks, taking courses such as Math, Design Thinking and Computer Science. During the academic year, scholars continue their development with monthly workshops centered around college access and navigation and critical thinking. During the summers prior to and following their senior year of high school, scholars have the opportunity to intern with a tech company SMASH has partnered with through our SMASH Rising program. One of the greatest privileges of my professional career is being part of dozens of young men’s personal growth over several years. Kimani has grown immensely as a coder and leader since I met him. Kimani entered SMASH as a high academic achiever with low confidence in his ability to code and be a competent Computer Engineer. Although his passion and work ethic were never in question, Kimani needed to grow his belief in himself and ultimately became a certified game developer through the software company, Unity. While he was able to rely heavily on his raw talent at school, SMASH also forced him to develop his leadership faculties. SMASH provided him with that opportunity through group projects during SMASH Academy and his internship with Zymergen through SMASH Rising. He successfully navigated various roles within his project groups and led his team to a 3rd place finish in our site’s design thinking competition in his final summer with SMASH Academy in 2020. Kimani realized through these experiences that he has agency and I witnessed him exercise his agency by shifting his focus and approach, when necessary, to successfully guide his team. Kimani has also taken advantage of every opportunity SMASH has offered to further develop his professional skills and strengthen his network. Merging his strong technical skills, relentless pursuit of knowledge and development as a capable leader and professional make Kimani Coates a future Computer Engineer with boundless potential. Undoubtedly, Kimani will continue to excel academically and personally as he continues his educational journey. He is as dedicated to realizing his fullest potential as he is a brilliant young man and it would be invaluable to those Kimani will impact in the future for him to be a Georgia Engineering Foundation Scholarship recipient. In Community & Excellence, Brian Garrett, PhD SMASH Regional Program Director, East Site Director, SMASH Morehouse email: brian@smash.org cell: 919-608-0556