MK Level Playing Field Institute (SMASH)

History

SMASH was launched in 2004 at the University of California Berkeley as a residential summer program for Black, Latino, and Native students in California’s Bay Area to be exposed to higher level math and science education. In 2006, the program expanded to offer its services year-round. In 2020, SMASH launched a virtual program as a result of the COVID-19 lockdowns. ¹

Activities

The MK Level Playing Field Institute (SMASH) is a computer science  and STEM education organization that works with high school students who are Black, Latino, or Native American. ¹ SMASH supports the theory that public policies are purposefully keeping individuals from Black, Latino, and Native American communities out of the computer science industry, and states that “Shutting these individuals out of technology […] exposes these communities to risks through harmful technological innovations, and undermines the quality, creativity, and efficacy of new tech.”  ²

Programs

SMASH Residential

SMASH Residential is a free summer program focused on intensive computer science courses. The program is present at colleges across the United States including UC Berkeley, Northeastern University, the University of Michigan, Morehouse College, and Spellman College. The students work directly with computer science professionals and mentors from their same demographic to develop their computer science skills and expand their professional network. ³

SMASH’s target students come from Black, Latino, Native American, Filipino, Pacific Islander, or Southeast Asian demographics. Students may also be eligible if they are first generation college students or from low-income families. All students must be in either 10th or 11th grade at the time of their application, have at least a 3.0 GPA, have better than average math skills, and have a strong interest in pursuing computer science as a degree and/or career. ³

SMASH Virtual

SMASH Virtual offers virtual courses for students who do not have the opportunity to take computer science courses on topics artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, or programming. ⁴ Career Catalyst is another part of SMASH’s virtual program that provides education lectures by professionals in the fields of computer science, engineering, entrepreneurship, and health care which aim to get students interested in building careers in those industries. ⁵ College Catalyst is SMASH’s college readiness program which offers lectures on how to find a college that fits student needs, write college essays, find financial aid, find scholarships, and learn financial literacy. ⁶

SMASH Alumni

SMASH Alumni maintains relationships with its graduates through college and into the professional world, allowing them to maintain access to SMASH resources, mentorships, and networking events. Through this program, alumni have an 85% chance of graduating college in six years or less and over 70 percent pursue careers in STEM fields. Alumni have gone on to attended schools including Stanford University, Princeton University, and Harvard University. ⁷

Funding

Over the years, MK Level Playing Field has received funding from American Endowment Foundation, American Online Giving Foundation, Battery Foundation, East Bay Community Foundation, Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund, Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties, Marin Community Foundation, National Philanthropic Trust, Network for Good, Rose Hills Foundation, San Francisco Foundation, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and the Tides Foundation. ⁸