Sewa International Launches ASPIRE STEM Program For Lowell Students

Sewa International USA, in partnership with Project Learn and Lowell Public Schools, has launched the ASPIRE STEM Enrichment Program across middle and high school sites in Lowell, Massachusetts. According to a press release, the program has evolved from a three-month planning initiative into a live program serving 67 students as of March 2026, with participation continuing to grow.

The program initially enrolled 25 middle school students and 11 high school students. Within weeks, those numbers rose to 38 middle school students and 29 high school students. ASPIRE aims to address gaps in public education by providing consistent, hands-on STEM learning environments for students in Lowell, many of whom are first-generation and multilingual.

Applied Learning and Academic Rigor

ASPIRE operates twice weekly and focuses on a curriculum developed with Project Learn that integrates engineering challenges and scientific experiments. Students participate in activities such as designing marshmallow towers to understand load distribution and observing carbon cycle demonstrations.

“ASPIRE has been really unpredictable,” said Phillip Keo, a Lowell High School student. “When I joined, I expected it to be all schoolwork. But we get to have fun while learning.”

Educators have noted the impact of the hands-on approach on student engagement.

“It is a great mix of hands-on learning and critical thinking,” said Kate Keefe, Community Schools Manager at Lowell High School. “We’ve seen the program grow week by week because students are telling their friends to join.”

Mareena Sullivan, a STEM Academy teacher, added that the program allows students to expand on their classroom learning and apply it in real-world situations.

Reducing Barriers to Education

The program model includes transportation support and incentive-based participation to ensure consistent attendance among underserved youth. Chris Hickey, Community School Manager at STEM Academy, noted that families appreciate the support systems built into the program.

The initiative is supported by an anonymous donor focused on educational equity. The Sewa Boston Chapter, led by Chapter Coordinator Kumar Subramanian, has made the launch a long-standing priority for the local South Asian community and the city at large.

“ASPIRE is more than an afterschool STEM program—it is a launchpad for middle and high school students to explore, build, and discover their potential to shape the future,” Subramanian said.

Local community partners are also involved in the program’s ecosystem. Dr. Suresh Jain, a member of the Sewa Board of Directors, noted that the Dharma Center of America, which has provided food services in Lowell for a decade, has extended its commitment to include educational incentives for these students.

Operational Architecture and Scalability

The program was architected and operationalized by Radhika Sathe, a Harvard-trained researcher. Serving as Program Architect and Systems Lead, Sathe designed the operational framework across Sewa International, Project Learn, and Lowell Public Schools. Her work included establishing compliance frameworks, audit-ready documentation, and tracking systems for evaluation.

“I was drawn to this work because it sits at the intersection of structure and impact,” Sathe said. “The goal was to build a model that is accountable, scalable, and responsive to student needs.”

Sewa International’s ASPIRE framework has served over 3,400 students across various U.S. centers. This collaborative model combines Sewa’s focus on mentorship and development with Project Learn’s three decades of experience within Lowell Public Schools.

A public event is planned for June 2026 to bring together students, families, and community leaders. The long-term goal for the organizers is to develop a replicable model for other school districts.

This text was edited with the assistance of an AI tool and has been reviewed and edited for accuracy and clarity by India Currents.