Science In A Suitcase

Meet Ian. 🤖

Ian is a Grade 7 student at Muramati Primary & Junior School, a rural government school in Laikipia, Kenya. He first joined the robotics club three years ago because he was curious and wanted to learn.

Now he's getting ready to travel to India for the World Robot Olympiad Asia & Pacific Open Championship.

He never imagined where robotics would take him, or how much he would learn along the way.

“Sometimes the robot doesn't work, but I try again until we make it. This has taught me to be patient and never give up.”

When Ian found out he was going to India, his first call was to his mom.

“My mother was the first person I called through my coach's phone. She screamed and she was much excited.”

❤️

Now he's looking forward to representing his country in India, meeting students from around the world, learning from them, and bringing those ideas back to Kenya.

Ian hopes to become a cardiologist one day. If he could build any robot, he'd build one that could help in hospitals and make people's lives easier.

His advice to anyone who wants to try robotics but is scared to start?

“They should start with what they know and keep learning. Making mistakes is part of learning.”

Not a bad perspective for a Grade 7 roboticist.

We can't wait to see where that curiosity takes him next. 💙

Meet Fidel. 💙

Fidel is 11 years old, loves programming, and is one of the three young innovators from Muramati Primary & Junior School in rural Kenya who will travel to India this September to compete in an international robotics competition.

He wrote this letter to share about who he is and what this opportunity means to him.

Why does a robotics team need two coaches? 🤖

Because representation matters.

We're incredibly grateful to Kenya Horticultural Exporters for stepping up to fund travel for all three Muramati students and their lead coach, David, to compete at the international WRO competition in India.

Now we're working to raise the remaining funds needed to bring their second coach, Rose, along with them and cover the team's additional travel expenses.

For mixed-gender teams traveling internationally, Kenya's Ministry of Education requires both a male and female teacher to accompany the students.

But for us, having Rose there is about more than meeting a requirement.

Beth, the team's only girl, will be leaving Kenya for the first time. We want her to have a woman she knows and trusts beside her. And we want girls across our programs to see women building, coding, coaching, and leading in STEM.

We want girls to see women leading in STEM and be able to imagine themselves doing the same.

💙 Help us complete the journey: https://scienceinasuitcase.donorsupport.co/page/2026KenyaToIndia

After the World Robot Olympiad National Competition in Nairobi, our journey wasn't over.
Before heading home, we took our students to the Museum of Illusions in Nairobi, where science, art, math, and psychology come together in hands-on exhibits that challenge the way we see the world.

For many of these students, it was their first experience at a museum like this.
These moments are an important part of every trip we take. We want our students to explore new ideas, ask new questions, and discover that learning can happen anywhere.

Because we're not just teaching robotics. We're helping young people see new possibilities for themselves.❤️🤖

🛍️ Shop for a cause with Science in a Suitcase!

Join us at Kendra Scott at The Domain on August 22 from 6–8 PM. Mention Science in a Suitcase at checkout and 20% of your purchase will support our work. 💙

Can't make it in person? Shop online August 22–23 using the code GIVEBACK-MIGHD above, and 20% of your purchase will benefit SIAS.

Your support helps us create STEM opportunities for students who might otherwise never have access to them. Right now, that includes three young robotics students from rural Kenya who earned an opportunity to represent their country internationally.

📍 The Domain | August 22 | 6–8 PM

Come shop, bring a friend, and help us open more doors through STEM!

Beth is 10 years old. Rose is her teacher and assistant robotics coach.

We love this photo because it captures something we care deeply about: girls need to see women leading in STEM so they can begin to imagine themselves doing the same.

Girls make up about two-thirds of the students in our Kenya robotics programs, and we intentionally work with schools to build mixed-gender teams and develop female coaches.

Because representation matters.

Come celebrate the women who inspire the next generation at our Kendra Scott Giveback Event:

📍 The Domain, Austin TX
📅 August 22
⏰ 6–8 PM

Mention Science in a Suitcase at checkout and 20% of your purchase will support our work.

Can't make it? Shop online August 22–23 with code GIVEBACK-MIGHD.

Want to support Beth and Rose more directly? You can also donate to their journey to India here: https://scienceinasuitcase.donorsupport.co/page/2026KenyaToIndia

💙 Shop. Support STEM. Celebrate women who lead.

Behind every robot is a student learning to think differently.

A problem to solve. A design to rethink. A piece of code to debug. A teammate to listen to. A challenge to try again.

That's what robotics is really about for us. It's not just about building robots. It's about helping students build confidence, creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving skills.

You can help us create more opportunities like these!

Shop online at Kendra Scott Jewelry August 22–23 with code GIVEBACK-MIGHD. 20% of your purchase will support our work.

Located in Austin? Join us in person and mention Science in a Suitcase at checkout to have your purchase support our cause.

🛍️ Kendra Scott at The Domain
📅 August 22
⏰ 6–8 PM

Shop a little. Support STEM. Help a student discover what's possible. 💙

We want girls to see themselves as builders, coders, problem-solvers, and leaders.

That's why we're working with schools in Kenya to create more opportunities for girls to explore robotics and discover what they're capable of.

Want to help?

🛍️ Kendra Scott Jewelry at The Domain in Austin, TX
📅 August 22
⏰ 6–8 PM

Mention Science in a Suitcase at checkout and 20% of your purchase will support our work.

Can't make it in person? Shop online August 22–23 with code GIVEBACK-MIGHD.

Shop for something you love. Help open a door for a girl in STEM. 💙

Kendra Scott

Every time we create an opportunity for a girl to build a robot, write code, solve a problem, or lead a team, we're helping her see herself as someone who belongs in STEM.

Girls are at the heart of our robotics programs in Kenya. We're proud to see them building, competing, leading, and imagining what comes next.

You can help us create more opportunities like these!

🛍️ Kendra Scott Jewelry at The Domain in Austin, TX
📅 August 22
⏰ 6–8 PM

Mention Science in a Suitcase at checkout and 20% of your purchase will support our work.

Can't make it in person? Shop online August 22–23 with code GIVEBACK-MIGHD.

Come shop. Support STEM. Help more girls see what's possible. 🤖💙

What does success really look like?

Sometimes, it looks like a trophy. 🏆

But sometimes it looks like a student who didn't think they could do something, then figured it out.

It looks like a team taking apart a robot and rebuilding it when the first design doesn't work.

It looks like a girl discovering that she loves coding.

It looks like building programs where girls see women leading, and can begin to imagine themselves doing the same.

It looks like a student from rural Kenya traveling to Nairobi for the first time and realizing that the world is bigger than they imagined.

The robots matter. The competitions matter. But they're really a vehicle for something bigger: confidence, curiosity, resilience, teamwork, and problem-solving.

We celebrate the medals. But we're just as proud of the growth that happens along the way.

That's what success looks like to us. 💙