Every year, several BEAM high school students receive a Summer STEM Stipend sponsored by BEAM’s corporate partners Jane Street and Hudson River Trading. This stipend is dedicated to covering the costs associated with attending a top-tier summer STEM program. This year, we are excited to recognize 18 talented recipients of this award!

BEAM is committed to supporting each of our students to and through college, and one essential part of that support is helping students access rigorous, enriching STEM experiences outside of school. These programs allow our students to immerse themselves in STEM topics while building career skills, community, and college readiness. Jane Street and Hudson River Trading’s invaluable partnership makes it possible for our students to attend these STEM-focused programs without financial burden, allowing them to fully focus on their passions, rather than on summer jobs or financial stress.

Keep reading to learn more about our Summer STEM Scholars and what they shared in their own words in advance of the summer!

Jane Street

Ayden O.

RFK UCLA Community School, 11th Grade
Attending MIT Caltech Summer of Math

What excites me most about math and STEM is how it challenges you to think deeply and solve problems in a creative way. I also enjoy the process of working with others or by myself to solve problems that can challenge your thinking skills, and how there are multiple ways to reach an answer. STEM interests me because of the way it connects to real-world stuff like technology and engineering, which is what I'm passionate about. I also like learning how things work and the idea that I can push myself to understand and solve more complex problems.

BEAM has helped me grow my interest in math and STEM by exposing me to problems that I have to really think about or collaborate with others to solve. Not only that, but the teachers have taught me ways to think outside of the box rather than memorizing formulas or using brute force. Working with other students who are also passionate about math and STEM motivated me to become more curious and confident.

I chose Caltech Summer of Math because I want to continue strengthening my problem-solving skills, meet new people, and gain new experiences. Also, as I'm thinking about the future, Caltech is one of the schools I'm hoping to attend.

Claire Z.

High School for Math, Science and Engineering at City College, 10th Grade
Attending CIEE Summer Abroad Kyoto, Engineering and Video Game Design

The program that I’m going to is Engineering and Video Game Design in Japan. I chose it because I found video game design to be super interesting, and I hope to learn how to code a playable game.

Something I like about STEM is that it’s really fun. I enjoy learning many new things, especially in the math and science fields! In math, I really like learning about patterns, or even fun concepts like imaginary numbers. In fact, one of my favorite classes was Imaginary Numbers during BEAM Summer Away at Marist! Doing multiplication was challenging but very rewarding, and the class in general was incredibly fun! I think I became interested in STEM around the beginning of middle school when I found joy in science and mathematics.

I chose the Engineering and Video Game Design program in Kyoto, Japan because I really liked what they offered. I’ve always been a video game lover, and I’m very passionate about playing them or watching the development of making them! A part of me really enjoys the process of creating video games, and I had been thinking about making a game for myself. I’m hoping to learn more about the coding that goes behind creating games, like game mechanics and character movement. I’d also love to learn about the process behind character design! Characters are always incredibly fascinating, and I want to learn about how an artist creates a character and makes it unique and interesting.

As for contributing to my long-term goals, I’d honestly love to make a full-fledged video game! It’s always been a big passion throughout my life, and I want to inspire people in the same way that video games inspired my life. The only problem is that I don’t know coding to a level where I can code a whole game. I hope that with this program, I can finally learn what I need to fulfill this longtime dream of mine!

Dennis C.

Bronx High School of Science, 9th Grade
Attending National Math Camp - Camp Sierpiński

My name is Dennis, and I’m from New York City. I enjoy swimming, STEM, chess, coding, and reading. I like STEM because it helps me understand how things are connected, and I enjoy breaking down problems step by step in a clear and logical way. I first got interested in STEM through puzzles and reading, and over time I became more curious about topics like physics and astronomy, especially how they explain the world and space around us.

I’ve participated in BEAM programs in 6th and 7th grade, including BEAM Pathway and a 3-week program at Marist College. I also attend BEAM Saturday classes where I learned Python coding, which helped me see how ideas can be used to build and test things. These experiences have helped me become more focused, organized, and independent in how I learn. I also play competitive chess, which has strengthened my discipline and thinking skills. This summer, I will be attending BEAM Summer Away, the National Math Camps Sierpiński program, and a STEM program at the CCNY STEM Institute. I’m looking forward to learning new ideas, challenging myself, and meeting other students who are interested in STEM.

Ellie R.

James A. Foshay Learning Center, 9th Grade
Attending National Math Camps - Camp Conway

What excites me about math and STEM is the interesting problems and how many unique, diverse topics there are to learn. I enjoy math because it sparks my interest when I have to think critically about a problem. I like it when I see a problem, and it immediately starts to turn wheels in my mind, making me feel challenged and engaged. At BEAM, I absolutely loved Summer Away because I got to expand my math knowledge with topics I have never touched before. I enjoyed all my classes, from knot theory to problems involving infinity. My interest in math has grown so much from BEAM, so I'm always looking for a challenge I can solve.

The summer program I am attending this summer is National Math Camps at Camp Conway. I am eager to attend Camp Conway because I hope to learn math that will interest me and benefit me in the future. I am excited for the opportunities that await me and will show resilience to any challenge that comes my way.

Giovanni B.

Oak Grove Preparatory Academy, 9th Grade
Attending National Math Camp - Camp Sierpiński

I am always excited about STEM because it covers a wide variety of subjects. I am amazed by the fact that all subjects in STEM are related. In BEAM, I feel that I have grown in my knowledge of math and learned a lot. I did not expect myself to ever enjoy math until I joined BEAM, and now I feel like I am able to put my skills and knowledge to the test in the year ahead.

I am choosing to attend Camp Sierpiński because I am fascinated by fractals and the Sierpiński Triangle. I really am excited to learn new math and meet new people from around the world. I am also working on my communication skills; wish me luck! In all, I am very excited to be attending Camp Sierpiński this summer to gain a new experience––not just in dorm life, but also to challenge my knowledge of different types of math.

Lia H.

Brooklyn Technical High School, 10th Grade
Attending CIEE Summer Abroad Palma de Mallorca, Marine Ecology & Sustainability

STEM excites me because the more I learn, the more questions I have that I truly have interest in finding an answer to. Being in STEM communities also excites me because I get to meet people who share my curiosity, and I can learn from them no matter their age because we've all learned different fun facts. I also find it so interesting that math and STEM subjects always have more to be discovered about them, and that they can be way less straightforward than people think. Asking questions at BEAM and in my school science classes has helped grow my interest in STEM because the more I learn, the more I realize how little I know––which only piques my interest more.

This summer I'm attending CIEE's Marine Ecology & Sustainability program in Palma De Mallorca, Spain. I chose this program specifically because for the past couple of years, I have been much more drawn to my biology and environmental science classes. I am also pretty unfamiliar with marine biology specifically, so I wanted to delve into something new, especially because I know that I already love biology. I also chose it because we get to spend time in the water snorkeling, swimming, and canoeing, and we get to hang out on the island. This gives me a full summer experience while also learning what I'm curious about.

Milagros R.

High School for Math, Science and Engineering at City College, 10th Grade
Attending Columbia Engineering's Summer High School Academic Program for Engineers (SHAPE)

STEM excites me because it is an opportunity to help others while also following your passions. My interest in STEM has grown a lot through BEAM, which allows for hands-on activities and teaches you subjects with real-world applications. Additionally, participating in BEAM Discovery helped me to get admitted to HSMSE and allowed me to gain insight into Mount Sinai Hospital and learn about not only engineering but also science.

This summer I will be attending the Columbia SHAPE Program for Healthcare Engineering and Girls Who Code. Through these programs, I hope to gain knowledge in science, engineering, coding, and the cognitive skills to contribute to my future success.

Rowan B.

Los Angeles, John Marshall High School
Attending National Math Camps - Camp Conway

Something that excites me about STEM is the challenge. Although STEM topics are difficult for me, I like to challenge myself and feel the accomplishment when I do it. Something I’ve done outside of BEAM that has helped my interest in math and STEM grow is participating in both the Math Field Day and MESA (Math, Science, Engineering Achievement) program at my school. I really enjoyed both of these opportunities, and they were the most prominent experiences I had that fostered my interest in math and STEM topics.

A program I’m attending this summer is National Math Camp at Camp Conway, and I chose to go there because I wanted to keep my mind working even during the summer. I hope to get some practice in and overall prepare for my math classes when I go into high school, so I mainly hope to learn more about high school-level math.

Shaun P.

Park East High School, 9th Grade
Attending National Math Camps

I’ve always been curious about science since I can remember. My interest in math developed in 5th grade, and that’s where I met the math teacher who changed everything for me. BEAM has really helped my interest in math grow by showing me how fun and challenging advanced math can be when you solve tough problems. BEAM has made learning math fun with real-world problems.

I will be attending The National Math Camp this summer. I chose this camp to step out of my comfort zone and challenge myself more deeply in math. I chose this summer program because I want to learn more advanced concepts and challenge myself outside of the regular schoolwork that I am doing. Attending this program helps me prepare for the transition to high school and keeps me on track to college.

Sopheak S.

Don Bosco Technical High School, 9th Grade
Attending SigmaWest and National Math Camps - Camp Conway

What really excites me about math and STEM is that even though it is challenging, it is still very fun. It also really excites me that math and STEM can prepare you for the future. BEAM showed me that STEM and math can be incredibly fun. The topic I am most interested in is engineering.

The programs that I am attending are Camp Conway and SigmaWest. The reason I chose Camp Conway is that I heard it is very similar to BEAM and that many BEAM students will be going. For SigmaWest, I decided to go to that camp because it has experiences that I want to try out, such as computer science, AI building, and coding.

Hudson River Trading

Deise M.

Staten Island Technical High School, 10th Grade
Attending CIEE Summer Abroad Kyoto, Culinary Arts and Culture

What excites me about math and STEM is how diverse it is. There are so many subcategories and fields within STEM, there is something for everyone. I attended BEAM Summer Away in 7th grade, which really helped my interest in STEM grow. I loved the way we spent hours working on long, hard problems and worked together to break down seemingly impossible challenges.

I'm attending a culinary arts program in Kyoto, Japan this summer. I chose it because it merges two things I really love, science and cooking. While it might seem unconventional, cooking is a complex process, especially when it comes to Japanese flavors. There's a science behind balancing flavors and nutrition in Japanese cuisine. I hope to learn more about just how complex cooking can be, and I hope to learn from my peers and mentors about how everyone approaches it a little differently.

Frankie S.

DeWitt Clinton High School, 9th Grade
Attending National Math Camps

Math is an interesting subject, indeed. It's complex, creative, and fun. Science is my favorite subject, and it's the subject I'm going to pursue in high school and in college. But math is an important subject and is needed to understand science as well.

When I first heard about BEAM in 6th grade, I was a little hesitant, considering that math wasn't my favorite subject. In the end, I applied to BEAM, took the admissions test, and passed it. BEAM Discovery was actually the most fun time I've ever had during a summer. After BEAM Discovery, I made some new friends from different schools. When I was then invited to BEAM Summer Away, I didn't hesitate at all and applied and took the admission test for that too. When I heard I'd passed the test, I was excited because this would be the first time I would be away from home by myself at a college campus. My experience during BSA was another one of the most fun summers I have ever had because during those three weeks I bonded with a lot of my peers and reconnected with some people I had known during BEAM Discovery. Overall, BSA is a program I would definitely recommend to other students, even if they don't like math.

This summer I will be in North Carolina at William Peace University for National Math Camps. I was invited by BEAM to apply and to attend the program. I hope to do more advanced math, find more ways to problem solve, find ways to solve problems faster and easier, and most importantly, to have fun while learning all of these different ideas.

Jaelyn N.

New York City Museum School, 9th Grade
Attending Girls Who Code

My name is Jaelyn. I’m a student and a participant in BEAM. I enjoy subjects that allow me to challenge myself to find a creative solution, which is why I like STEM. Math has so many outlets you can use to get to the right answer, and you don't only have to do a single formula, which pushes you to consider every aspect of a problem and what you can do with it.

Attending BEAM Summer Away allowed me to do challenging math problems beyond just numbers and helped me work with teams and persist even through hardship. This summer, I'm excited to participate in Girls Who Code because it will let me branch out beyond just mathematics and also teach me the intricacies of coding. This will give me the opportunity to learn more and experience all this program has to offer, helping me not only with my coding skills, but also with creativity.

Javier M.

Bard High School Early College, 12th Grade
Attending Columbia Engineering's Summer High School Academic Program for Engineers (SHAPE)

As I've grown older, I've come to realize that math is much more than achieving a singular correct answer or seeing recognizable patterns in problems. Math has taught me how to fail and shown me why failing is important and the only way to grow. I would like to say that I've always been a strong student in math and it has not been too challenging for me, but this changed in my junior year while taking calculus. Calculus is hard and has been a wake-up call as to what college will be like. This course is what has caused me to realize that to challenge yourself is to also better yourself.

I always claimed to look at math as something that comes to me naturally, but now I realize that it is something that I also must put work, time, and effort into to see the results I want. I want to challenge myself, see my work turn into success, and obtain skills that will help me in the future. The love for learning that I found recently has come from math.

I will be attending Columbia SHAPE this summer. I chose this program for two key reasons, one being this program's overall focus on engineering, allowing us students to get hands-on work in their labs as well as their academic environment with professors and other like-minded peers. The second key reason I chose this program is the ability to focus on a niche within engineering, which for me is healthcare engineering. I hope to be able to first of all make new connections with both the professors and leaders at the program, searching for advice and guidance in this field, but also with peers who have similar goals as myself, learning to work side by side with one another and making new and valuable friendships. I hope to learn skills from this program that will heavily support me in the future, such as lab work, understanding how to solve real-world problems, and learning what goes on behind the scenes in engineering.

Kasey D.

Bard High School Early College Bronx, 10th Grade
Attending Columbia Engineering's Summer High School Academic Program for Engineers (SHAPE)

My name is Kasey. I am a 15-year-old student at Bard High School Early College Bronx. I am a Hispanic teen living in the Bronx with my mother. This summer, I will be attending Columbia Engineering’s Summer High School Academic Program for Engineers (SHAPE).

I have been interested in this program since 8th grade, especially because of my growing passion for healthcare engineering. I am fascinated by how engineering can improve patient care, design medical devices, and create technologies that make healthcare better for everyone. My interest comes from a desire to combine science and compassion to make a positive impact on people’s lives. Through SHAPE, I hope to deepen my understanding of this field and begin building the skills needed for a future career in healthcare engineering.

I fell in love with math at an early age. I remember being able to solve a Rubik’s Cube faster than many of my classmates in elementary school and helping my mom with her Sudoku puzzles. I have also been inspired by my mother’s work as a Revenue Cycle Analyst, where she uses math to predict healthcare costs, and when my grandmother got a Pacemaker. I think it’s really cool how a pacemaker helps keep her heart beating! At first, I thought my only options were to build something or become a doctor, but BEAM helped me realize that math can be applied in so many other ways. I learned that I could combine my interests in math through fields like healthcare engineering, where I can help design solutions to help improve someone’s health. This experience helped me better understand my interests and opened my mind to career paths I had not considered before.

In school, I am a member of the volleyball and robotics clubs. I was also selected for the Spring 2026 Smart Scholars Program, where only eight students were chosen. I was one of only two students chosen from the 9th grade. In this role, I help plan and carry out student led initiatives in collaboration with the Parent Association and various school clubs. My goal is to strengthen our school community and encourage more students to develop a love for math and STEM programs.

Nathan V.

North Hollywood High School, 10th Grade
Attending University of Michigan Debate Institute

Hello! I'm Nathan, an incoming sophomore at North Hollywood High School. Over my time at BEAM, I've deepened my love of STEM, especially mathematics, which has motivated me to pursue a career in law. The first class I took in BEAM Summer Away was about formal logic, which I've noticed has applied to various things I do, like debate and all kinds of math that I like. I think the emphasis that math beyond school places on logic has made me very passionate about exploring it; it makes me want to keep trying to discover new things every day.

Over the summer, I'll be attending the Michigan Debate Institute. I'm on my school's policy debate team, and my coach and teammates recommended it to me. Although on the surface it seems to have a weak connection to STEM, debate is inextricably linked to the same use of logic that you encounter in mathematics, which makes me think that debate is just as beautiful as mathematics is. I think the logical and critical thinking I’ve gained from STEM are applicable to a future career in law, which I’m working hard to pursue. This stipend has given me the opportunity to explore one of my passions by taking an amazing opportunity in the Michigan Institute of Debate.

Reann H.

Bard High School Early College Queens, 9th Grade
Attending National Math Camp - Camp Sierpiński

Something that excites me about math is how there is always one final answer. Math equations will have a final solution, which won't make me question myself, like I sometimes do in English class.

BEAM has helped me a lot in my interest in math, which is why I applied for National Math Camp this summer. I’m really excited. BEAM showed me how fun math could be with the right people. In BEAM, my friends made it really fun to do problems and collaborate together and with new people. BEAM also showed me a lot of interesting ways to look at and solve math problems, ways that I could never learn in school. This has definitely made me more interested in the subject.

I am attending National Math Camp, and I hope to learn many new methods of doing math. It seems like a difficult camp, and it’s for 12 days. I’ll have lots of time to meet new people and get to know more methods. Attending this program contributes to my long-term goals because I know I want to do something in the math/science field.

Meet The 2026 Jane Street and Hudson River Trading Summer STEM Scholars!