Tag: TGR Learning Lab

With more than 50 courses available for middle and high school students in the Expanded Learning Program, the flagship TGR Learning Lab provides exposure, preparation and skill development for the workforce of tomorrow.

Through the program Miguel Jimenez has gained more than opportunities to spend time with his friends and get help with his homework after school. He has developed skills in and outside of the classroom and connected his passions to potential career paths. He recently took a moment to reflect on his experience and plans for the future in a Q&A.

I was next in line to speak at the Earl Woods Scholar Winter Workshop graduation luncheon, celebrating my cohort, the class of 2020. Nervous yet excited, I repeatedly ran through my lines in my head in anticipation. Yet, when the time came to deliver my speech, thanking the people who had shaped my journey with TGR Foundation, as I began to thank my mentor, I was surprised to hear my words deviate from the script. “Bill, we are a match made in heaven.” This impromptu phrase easily became my favorite.

My first contact with my mentor William (Bill) Borges hadn’t been as an Earl Woods Scholar. Bill was there from the very beginning, participating in my group interview for the scholar program back in high school. It was humbling to reflect on how much time had passed since then, and I felt satisfied that I could verbalize it with such an appropriate phrase, as though it were the natural culmination of our time together.

With proceeds from The Genesis Invitational benefitting TGR Foundation, the flagship TGR Learning Lab will bring the award-winning curricula and hands-on activities to Family Village throughout the tournament. Located near three green and 15 tee, the TGR Learning Lab powered by CDW, Microsoft Surface and Tech Fore! Kids has activities planned for youth of all ages.

TGR Foundation kicks off each year with Winter Workshop, a signature event of the Earl Woods Scholar Program that unites students, mentors and friends of the foundation at the flagship TGR Learning Lab in Anaheim, CA. A reflection of the program’s growth over the last ten years, this year’s event saw record attendance Thursday, January 2 – Saturday, January 4.

Through a host of scheduled personal and professional development workshops, the program prepared underclassmen college students for success during their year ahead and celebrated with seniors that will graduate in the class of 2020 during a luncheon on Friday afternoon.

When I was teaching there were distinct times of the year that kids exhibited high stress and anxiety as it relates to completing assignments. It was common to see students, usually in gifted programs, bogged down with the pressures of academia. We took it as a norm; school, studying and exams can be stressful. Today, however, many more students are feeling the pressures of school, which can be daunting and, for many, debilitating.

Educators have a moral duty to help the young people under their care learn to cope and thrive beyond merely achieving competency through their prescribed curriculum. There are many ways educators can motivate, reinforce and change the tide of mental health concerns among their students.

My love for theatre started when I was three or four years old and my godmother took me to see a musical, in my hometown of Boston, MA. I do not remember the name of the show or really what it was about, but I was fascinated by the colors and music. Something about seeing the performers act, sing and dance gave them this magical glow on the stage. My young and impressionable mind had concluded that to be so talented you had to have super abilities, and I knew I would be a part of that magic one day.

International STEM Studio is an amazing initiative. I learned about it after the CEO of Soronko Academy, my boss, attended the inaugural training in 2018. She came back with a new perspective on how to teach science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) at the academy and how to organize training of the trainer sessions to enable her to share the knowledge she had gained with others, who trained in different parts of Ghana. When she asked me if I would like to take part in the next cohort of the International STEM Studio, I jumped on board with excitement. I couldn’t wait for the growth in the knowledge I knew the training session would come with. I thought about my students, and I knew this was an opportunity to provide them with better education and guide them toward achieving their goals. On July 25th I embarked on a trip to the flagship TGR Learning Lab in Anaheim, CA sponsored by the United States African Development Foundation (USADF) to participate in International STEM Studio.

This summer I had the chance to examine the role of TGR Foundation from a global perspective. It started with a speaking role at Global MindED’s annual convening in Denver, CO where we discussed how organizations reach a diverse population with their work. The latter half of the summer took me to Israel where I examined the complexity of creating a STEM-integrated workforce by better preparing educators to meet the changing world facing their students. And most recently TGR EDU: Global trained more than 50 educators from around the world to transform their teaching through a focus on inquiry and problem-based pedagogy.

Since launching the flagship TGR Learning Lab in 2006, TGR Foundation has built a robust network of opportunities for students to learn and grow. Programs at the flagship facility in Anaheim, CA have expanded over the last two decades providing more students access to quality education and career connections.

Collaboration and partnerships are a key component of their success. With six satellite campuses across the United States, students in underrepresented communities from coast to coast benefit from high-quality education programs. Although each satellite’s programs are unique to the communities, resources and students served, the core model and curricula were tested and proven successful at the flagship learning lab.

While many incoming high school seniors in Southern California started their summer on vacation or sitting by the pool taking a break from their studies, participants in our annual College Bound Academy spent two weeks preparing for their path to college.

Including admissions and financial aid workshops, campus visits to the Claremont Colleges, guest speakers and training from Disneyland Marketing professionals, the program was packed with opportunities for participating students to gain inspiration, build skills, connect with peers and start their journey to higher education.

Angela Segura and Cyan Erdita connected with us to share on their experience.