ASU students kick off Sun Devils UNITE week with Arizona Science Olympiad
Devils in Disguise kicked off Sun Devils UNITE, a week of philanthropy, education and service. These volunteers at the Children First Leadership Academy are being briefed on their tasks for the day. Photo by Kaylie Cook
Arizona State University, in partnership with Valley of the Sun United Way, hosted Sun Devils UNITE, a week of philanthropy, education and service from April 7–15. The week kicked off with Changemaker Central’s annual Devils in Disguise service event, a 17-year tradition where students and student organizations spend their Saturday volunteering in a community service project.
Changemaker partnered with Access ASU to hold the Arizona Science Olympiad April 7 on ASU’s Tempe campus; more than 150 current ASU student volunteers were on hand to help the event run smoothly.
“To partner with Access ASU and include them in our long-standing tradition demonstrates to those middle and high school students our Sun Devils are here to support them in their journey to ASU,” said Jasmine Smalls, senior coordinator for Changemaker Central.
In lab and classroom spaces across the Tempe campus, more than 900 middle and high school students from across the state took part in 70 science-based events, supervised by ASU faculty and staff from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.
“The ASU students who volunteered as part of Devils in Disguise are a great example of how our university is socially embedded in our community and further demonstrates our commitment to access and excellence,” said Assistant Vice President of Outreach Sylvia Symonds.
“Hosting the state science olympiad tournament is a great opportunity for ASU to connect with some of the best and brightest middle and high school students in Arizona focused on STEM,” Symonds added.
The Arizona Science Olympiad began in 1982 at Shadow Mountain High School where students competed in a contest based on the basic sciences of biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics. This became the foundation for the modern olympiad where students compete in challenging and engaging events.
“The partnership between ASU and Arizona Science Olympiad provides students the opportunity to experience college life by interacting with professors in areas they have been studying all year and becoming familiar with the layout of the campus so they can visualize themselves there as they graduate,” state olympiad director Reina Gomez said.
Access ASU is dedicated to increasing access to higher education and preparing Arizona students for success. Changemaker Central at ASU is a community of like-minded students that are leading social change in the community.
Written by Will Argeros