Sometimes the most meaningful connections happen by accident. Earlier this year, AJ, our Vice President of Technology, received a text that sent him into a panic. It read, “The meeting!!” Convinced he had missed something urgent, he scrambled through his calendar. Moments later came the follow up: “Sorry, wrong number.” But then came a question that stopped him in his tracks: “Hello, is this AJ from the Boys & Girls Clubs?”
It was Brenda Almazo, a former Club One member who had not been in touch for years. She had gone on to Illinois State University to study Business Information Systems — the very same school AJ attended — and she wanted to thank him for sparking her interest in technology.
Brenda’s journey began in sixth grade when she joined SeaPerch, our underwater robotics program. She remembers drilling pieces together, wiring motors, and guiding the robot through the pool until it moved with precision. “It was like playing a video game, only better, because we had built it ourselves,” she says.
Her first year she was a builder, but by the second she was helping other students construct their robots and troubleshoot problems. That shift from participant to mentor gave her confidence that carried into high school robotics, IT classes, and an internship at Northwestern Hospital. “I think SeaPerch was my push and inspiration,” Brenda says. “It was the first program I joined, and it gave me the courage to explore other opportunities.”
That confidence proved invaluable in a male-dominated field. “Even now most of my classes are filled with men,” she says. “But thanks to the Club, I don’t feel like an outsider. I gained my confidence back then.”
Today Brenda is preparing for a career in healthcare technology. She also dreams of returning to the Club to mentor younger kids. Her advice to them is simple and wise: “Don’t only be at the Club to hang out. It is never too early to discover a passion or a career.”
Her story began with an underwater robot, grew with a scholarship that helped her take the next step, and now continues at the same university where her mentor once studied. And it only happened because she had the opportunity. Your support makes that possible.