Life & Work with Kelly Scarborough

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Scarborough. 

Hi Kelly, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My husband, John, and I have 2 sons, now 26 and 24. When our older son was 12, he wanted to learn how to code. We sent him to a summer camp, which he enjoyed, but there was nothing available to continue supporting his interest in STEM subjects. There were plenty of other enrichment opportunities for kids in sports, music, and the arts, but we were hard-pressed to find STEM programs for kids. Our son continued to learn to code on his own. Several years later, we began to think seriously about opening our own STEM enrichment business. We knew in our hearts that there were plenty of other kids interested in STEM enrichment and, like us, their parents saw the value in exposing them to STEM, since this is where the well-paid jobs were moving. In January of 2016, we took a leap of faith and opened Silicon STEM Academy, offering after-school classes, workshops, and camps in Coding, Engineering, and Digital Media. To our delight, the people came and by that summer, we were named #1 by Colorado Parent Readers in the areas of Academic Enrichment and STEM Camps! We feel that it’s important for today’s kids to be exposed to STEM early. The fact is that ALL kids are “tech” kids to an extent, as this is the world they were born into. We’re happy to help them get a head-start on their futures! 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As the old adage goes, it takes twice as long and twice as much money to get a new business off the ground and it was no different for Silicon STEM Academy. Marketing a new business concept is no easy feat, and reaching a specific target market takes a lot of time, money, and creativity. Finding the talent to help us develop and teach our courses was not as hard as we thought, but we often found ourselves educating parents on what ‘STEM’ stands for! (It’s an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering & Math for those who still don’t know.) Nowadays, you also hear the term ‘STEAM,’ with the ‘A’ added to represent ‘Art.’ We include some creative digital media courses in our offerings, too. We offered a lot of free courses and camps in the early days just to get some exposure, but we persisted, and now in our 7th year, we’re grateful for a very loyal following. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
John came from a corporate background, primarily in Telecom, and early on, I owned a freelance graphic design/digital media company. Later, I became active in our kids’ schools, and even launched and ran an after-school enrichment program at their elementary school, never dreaming we would one day start a business centered around STEM enrichment for kids! 

Today, Silicon STEM Academy is probably best known for our Summer Camps, held in multiple Denver metro locations, including our main location, now in Wash Park, and at several Denver-area schools. These are mostly half-day, weeklong camps with all-day options, with fun & informative camps in things like LEGO Robotics, Minecraft Modding, Video Production for YouTube, Coding, Virtual Reality, and more. We also offer ‘Coding Bootcamps’ for teens that offer an all-day, immersive opportunity to get a head start in several programming languages, like JavaScript and Python. We develop new courses all the time, so we are uniquely positioned to stay on top of new technologies that we teach. 

What sets us apart is that our courses go into more depth than what most kids are exposed to in school today. Our philosophy is that kids should learn STEM in more depth at a younger age and that it should be treated like one of the core literacies. Other countries around the world are doing this, but the US has some catching up to do, unfortunately. But in our 7th year, we are proud that our students report that they go to college more prepared in STEM subjects than MOST of their counterparts. We also provide a pathway from student to intern to summer camp counselor, which we find prepares kids to compete in the real world. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I suppose there’s an element of luck in any successful endeavor, but if I’m honest, we worked very hard and risked a lot to make Silicon STEM Academy a success. However, as far as luck goes, we were probably at the right place at the right time. 

Pricing:

• $300 – 350 for most camps

Contact Info:

• Email: info@siliconstemacademy.com
• Website: siliconstemacademy.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/siliconstemacademy
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/siliconstemacademy
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/siliconstem
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVErKqgYQtodTVsO3hA4sjw/videos
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/silicon-stem-academy-denver

Image Credits
Silicon STEM Academy