100 Brooklyn middle and high school students received an exciting surprise visit from Nets stars Seth Curry and Markieff Morris when they visited Barclays Center on the annual NETSTEM this Thursday.
Started by the Brooklyn Nets in 2018, the NETSTEM program provides free online basketball-themed courses to students across the borough to encourage career explorations in science, technology, engineering and math. Or, STEM, for short.
Then, on NETSTEM Day, students can see real-life applications to what they learned in the courses at multiple interactive stations such as the gaming lab, the team store, a DJ pop-up station and more.
“The STEM program is something that could lead [the students] to certain things they want to do professionally as they get older,” Curry said.
“It’s good to see that they are taking advantage of this opportunity to learn from some knowledgeable people. I mean, I could probably learn from some of these stations!”
Heather Hall, Senior Director of Community Relations at BSE Global, the parent company of the Brooklyn Nets, hopes the program and NETSTEM Day will nurture students’ passion for STEM and inspire them to see themselves in a STEM-related profession.
“We want the students participating in this program to see themselves represented in careers that utilize STEM and show them opportunities available within the sports and entertainment industry that utilize STEM in their day-to-day," she said.
Showing up at the event was a way for Curry to interact with the kids and give back to the community, he said.
“The stations showed the kids different aspects that they don’t learn every day in school,” the Nets shooting guard said.
“It's good to start learning at this age, and organizations like the Brooklyn Nets are doing what they can to make it as accessible as possible.”
Markieff Morris came into the gaming lab and was met with gasps and applause from students. The star went around the room to greet the kids, then shot some virtual hoops.
“You don’t know it until you get older, but the world is all about numbers,” Morris said.
“The new way of the world is knowing about electronics and technology. [STEM] should be a program that’s in our public system, something that’s provided and easily accessible to the kids.”
After all student groups finished rotating around the stations, they were led back to the Nets practice court where they joined Morris for a question and answer session. The visit ended with the star echoing the visit's theme: Anything is possible. “My brother and I, we’re both in the NBA. We sat in the same spots as you. If we can do it, so can all of you,” Morris said.
The group of students is currently enrolled in the NETSTEM program — an online based basketball-themed STEM course designed to inspire STEM career exploration and offered free to middle schools and high schools in Brooklyn. To learn more about the program, click here.
