To address the deep-rooted systemic inequalities in STEM/STEAM education, all children – especially those from historically under-resourced neighborhoods and low-income families – should receive equal access to classrooms where they can dismantle stereotypes, close achievement gaps, and become agents of positive change. After years without a high school or technical facility, this Miami-Dade County city is poised to bridge that gap and offer a transformative gateway to higher education and the workforce.
Photo Courtesy of S.E.E.K. Foundation
With a Seminole name, Arabic-inspired architecture, and a reputation for celebrating Black culture, Opa-Locka isn’t lacking in heritage. But with no technical or high school, the community of more than 16,000 does lack the hub for public enrichment these facilities often provide.
That’s about to change.
This summer, the S.E.E.K. (Seeking Education Empowers Knowledge) Foundation broke ground on its SMART Tech Health Hub, a four-story building conceived as a crossroads for young students, families, adults in need, career-seekers, and more. With four million dollars from the State of Florida plus support from The Miami Foundation’s Digital Equity Collective, Tech Equity Miami, The Carrie Meek Foundation, and others, the building will be fully operational by December 2026.
The building symbolizes a monumental investment in a country where Black and Latinx people make up approximately 32% of the population but less than 10% of STEM workers. These populations are considerably less likely to obtain higher education, especially in fields like science and engineering, than their white counterparts, and these numbers have worsened in the past decade.
Photo Courtesy of S.E.E.K. Foundation
But over the past 12 years, the S.E.E.K. Foundation has been working to move the needle in the opposite direction. They’ve immersed more than 15,000 children, particularly those of color, in STEM/STEAM education (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) with programs from augmented reality workshops to starfish dissections. S.E.E.K. operates across many of the country’s largest cities, but its founder Anike Sakariyawo, a teacher with more than 15 years of experience, says she always knew she wanted to return to serve her hometown, Opa-Locka.
“It was important for me to go back to the community that I grew up in,” Anike says. “It's important for people to see those who are making change in the community, and that there is talent in the community when its members are given opportunity and access that's uninterrupted.”
Photo Courtesy of S.E.E.K Foundation
The Tech Health Hub will be all about opportunity and access. The sleek, window-walled building will prioritize patrons’ basic needs with a first floor dedicated to healthcare services, which the S.E.E.K. Foundation will provide via partnerships with local health organizations.
“During an observation, I noticed a student said to his teacher, Mr. Curry, I need to step out and talk to my therapist on telehealth. We need that space for our students,” Anike says. “And we all need a place to get a flu shot or check our blood pressure.”
Those hoping to build career skills will want to step off the elevator on the next floor. Here, adults will be able to take classes led by local universities covering in-demand expertise like cybersecurity, AI, and engineering. Through a partnership with The Miami Foundation, Opa-Locka locals will also gain access to the tech essentials they need for everyday life.
Students will find their niche on the building’s top two floors, whether they’re interested in developing cosmetics, animating videos, or building robots. S.E.E.K.’s career-driven programs teach students to think strategically and innovatively about technology’s potential, but also, more broadly, about their futures and the futures of those around them.
This theme echoes through every carefully curated facet of the building. S.E.E.K.’s new hub isn’t just focused on improving individuals’ lives, it’s centered around enriching the entire community and beyond. A rich, hands-on education prepares students to step up when and where they’re needed most, too.
“It’s about how students and their parents or other community stakeholders will come together,” Anike says. “For example, when there was a hurricane in the Bahamas, we had a community event where students created flashlights from water bottles. They made deodorant and lotion.”
The Health Tech Hub’s outward-looking mission aligns with the questions Anike asks of herself, to guide her leadership:
“What have you done while you were here on Earth?
What are you doing outside of your own needs?
We interact with people all day. Whether it’s on the phone, driving, talking, walking past someone at a bus stop, it takes a different way of thinking and navigating through the world when you think of others.”
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