Denny’s Proyecto Saber Students Experience STEM at UW MESA Day

Rocks, robots, rockets, and real‑world problem solving filled the day for Proyecto Saber students from Denny International Middle School at MESA Day on April 24. Hosted by the University of Washington, the annual event invited students to learn science by doing it—through hands‑on activities designed to expand students’ visions of who belongs in STEM. 

MESA, which stands for Math, Engineering, Science Achievement, is a national STEM program with a mission to increase access to science and engineering pathways for students of color. Seattle Public Schools works closely with the UW MESA branch, which supports students by providing materials for science projects, organizing hands‑on learning experiences, offering campus visits and department tours, and connecting students with panels of graduate students and science professionals. 

Urpi Ruiz-Angeles is the Seattle MESA program coordinator for middle school and helped organize the event. Her goal is to create meaningful experiences for students of color. 

“Our mission is to expose as many students as possible to STEM – specifically underrepresented students,” she said. 

This mission closely aligns with Proyecto Saber, a class at Denny designed to support and uplift Latinx students, a group that has historically faced barriers and discrimination in access to science education.  

Through participation in MESA Day, Proyecto Saber students engage directly with science in a way that is interactive, affirming, and inspiring.  

Throughout the day, students rotated through interactive stations designed to spark curiosity and encourage them to think critically. They examined rocks and minerals, tested engineering concepts, explored robotics challenges, and learned how science and math are applied in real‑world careers.  

For many students, the experience went beyond activities – it was an opportunity to see themselves as scientists, engineers, and innovators. Luna A. is an 8th grader at Denny. She admitted that she was skeptical about the field trip but was pleasantly surprised to find the sessions were interactive. 

“I don’t think we knew that it would be so much about working with our hands and building things with our partners or classmates,” she said. “I think we thought it was going to be more about learning about engineers and slideshows, but I think it’s really cool to be able to build projects.” 

Luna said she enjoyed the session where they got to create a bridge using popsicle sticks, marshmallows, and other materials. They then tested their creation on a machine that measures seismic waves. 

MESA Day is the organization’s largest event of the year, bringing together schools from Seattle and surrounding areas to both learn and compete. In addition to hands‑on learning, students have the opportunity to participate in the MESA science project competition. High‑ranking teams advance to the state level, and from there may qualify to compete nationally. While the competition is rigorous, MESA Day is intentionally designed to center joy, teamwork, and positive relationships with science. 

Although there were no other Seattle teams at MESTA Day, students from Ingraham High School still had to pitch their creation to advance to the state level. They will compete at the state finals on May 16 at Green River College.