LaKisha McPike has always been fascinated with how the world works. When she was seven, she told her mother that she wanted to be a pediatrician.
“Even when I was young, I would pick out these science experiment books and try them at home,” McPike said.
Her love for science led her to get her degree in biology (magna cum laude) from Lane College in Jackson, Tenn., in 2007.
In the fall, she will put her science knowledge to the test when she enters the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock to pursue her master’s in medical sciences. She plans to focus on biochemistry and molecular biology.
“I want to begin research as soon as I step foot on campus,” McPike said anxiously.
McPike, 23, is one of the first graduates of Saint Louis Science Center’s Youth Exploring Science (YES) program to go to graduate school. She is also the first of 32 grandchildren in her family to graduate from college.
“My favorite quote to live by is from my stepfather Tony,” McPike said. “He always says short-term sacrifices and long-term gain.”
YES is a work-based training program that gives underprivileged high school students hands-on experience in science, mathematics, technology and engineering throughout their high school career. Since its humble beginning in 1997, YES has grown to involve more than 150 students each year.
Like McPike, most seniors of the program go on to attend college or higher technical training.
“This program would be beneficial to most kids, whether they need it or not,” McPike said. “It teaches you not just about science, but life skills.”
McPike’s interest in science started at an early age. She liked the messy, challenging and new experiences that the field had to offer.
“I loved going to the doctor’s office,” McPike said. “I loved standing on the scale, getting my temperature taken, and getting my eyes and ears checked.”
Noticing their daughter’s enthusiasm, McPike’s parents eventually placed her in YES.
YES teens are recruited from eight local children’s agencies: Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club, Matthews-Dickey Boys and Girls Club Inc., YWCA Teen Tool Program, Lighthouse, Christian Service Center, Anne Malone Children and Family Service Center and Adams Community Center.
McPike joined YES at the end of her eighth grade year and has been an avid supporter of the program ever since. Although she graduated out of YES in 2003, McPike loved the program so much that she came back to work there for her college summers.
“She immediately saw the value of this program,” said Siinya Riley, manager of community partnerships. “She’s always been one who was very serious and very detailed about her work.”
In McPike’s first two summers in YES, she worked as a teaching assistant, helping elementary kids in summer classes. Her junior and senior year in high school, as a Mastercard Scholar, she worked more on her own and led exhibits at the Science Center. She was promoted to supervisor last summer and now oversees YES projects at Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club.
“She knows how to talk to the teens and she has an embedded sincerity,” Riley said. “She always thinks positive and keeps them going the successful way.”
McPike has taken on a number of exciting projects over the years, from helping students raise their science grades to mixing, testing and analyzing chemicals in a wet lab.
McPike thanks YES for not only sharpening her skills as a scientist, but also for providing her first paying job.
Her freshman year in high school, she used her $5.15 hourly wage to buy all of her school supplies and most of her school clothes.
More importantly, McPike said YES taught her life skills and how to network with science professionals.
“All teens should have the opportunity to be a part of this program,” McPike said. “Because, for me, someone who wasn’t really exposed to a lot, it helped me see that people weren’t like me.”
While McPike is unsure if she wants to go for her doctorate degree, she said she is certain that she wants to come back to St. Louis to become the first YES teen to serve on Saint Louis Science Center’s Board of Trustees.
Her long-term goal is to become a pediatrician – a career that combines her love for both science and children. She hopes to build a program like YES in other cities.
“Dream big and don’t think that things are impossible,” McPike said.
For more information on YES, call 314-289-4400 or visit www.youthexploringscience.com.