STEM Bicycle Club Gave Student Confidence, Skills, Friends, Purpose
Albert Einstein compared riding a bike to life: “To keep balanced, you must keep moving forward.”
Isaiah Boulware, now 19, was only 12 years-old when he joined the STEM Bicycle Club, an initiative launched by the Greater Cincinnati STEM Collaborative.
Boulware’s science teacher at Newport Middle School in Cincinnati thought he might be interested in the Bike Club where students learn how to build, repair and safely ride bikes.
The club appealed to Boulware because, even as a young child, he liked fixing things. And he was new to the Newport school with no friends and a shy demeanor.
MOVING FORWARD
But fixing things is just the beginning of what Boulware learned as a member of the Bike Club..
Now in his second year of a four-year welding program at Gateway Community and Technical College in Covington, Ky., Boulware looks back on his time with the STEM Bicycle Club as the reason why he has been able to move forward in life.
He said he learned far more than how to build and fix bicycles during his years with the Bike Club. “I gained confidence,” Boulware said.
He started as a participant with the STEM Bicycle Club when he was in sixth grade and liked it so much that he asked to return the following year and for five more years.
He was a mentor for the students enrolled in the Club.
“I just kept coming back year after year. As I got older and had more experience with bikes, I would bring that knowledge to the Club and share with current students.”
For Boulware, the STEM Bicycle Club was his way of connecting and giving back.
“All different ethnicities, races all come together to learn one thing. And, you know, just seeing them overcome their struggles is the best part for me,” he said.
Finding Balance
The STEM Bicycle Club changed Boulware.
“I was so shy. I couldn’t talk to people. I don’t even know how to describe it. It gave me people skills, social skills, leveled down my social anxiety and all that.”
And Boulware didn’t stop sharing his expertise. Back at the apartment complex where he lives with his mother, he became known as the “bike man.” When neighbors had struggles with their bikes or other things, they’d reach out to Boulware, who was always willing to help.
“It was just something I wanted to do out of fun. I just got out of the bike club feeling confident. I was feeling ready. I wanted to take on new challenges,” he said.