SPIN Student Stories: Meet Jaidyn!

Finding Trust, Friendship, and Opportunity Through SPIN

This season of gratitude, we’re reflecting on ten years with STEM Paths Innovation Network and all the students, mentors, and community partners who make this network of learning, leadership, and belonging possible. Since 2015, all of our programs have been free for students, thanks to donations from supporters like you.  

For Jaidyn, gratitude runs deep. When she first joined SPIN’s program as a seventh grader, she wasn’t exactly excited about giving up her Saturdays.

“It was my mom’s idea,” she laughs. “She saw the potential before I did.” 

Over time, that reluctant beginning turned into something life-changing. Through the SPIN Fellows program, Jaidyn found a circle of peers who understood her, mentors who guided her, and opportunities that opened new doors. 

“I found trust and relationships with those in my cohort and mutual understanding because we were all going through the same thing.” 

Photo: Jaidyn and SPIN friends at the Discover BMB 2023 conference hosted by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Today, Jaidyn has come full circle, now on staff as SPIN’s 10th-grade Cohort Lead and Program Coordinator. She teaches a curriculum on environmental justice, helps plan each lab day, and connects students with the same kind of mentors who once inspired her.

“I’m super excited to give back to the program that gave me access to relationships, connections, and academic and professional growth.” 

Her gratitude also fuels her dreams for the future. Now a Business Marketing student at Green River College, Jaidyn hopes to start a family-owned agricultural business focused on food security and community gardens, building generational wealth while giving back to others.

“SPIN isn’t just about STEM. It’s about helping you become the best version of yourself and giving you the tools to succeed, whatever path you take.”

Jaidyn and SPIN friends at the Museum of Flight Field Day.

As SPIN turns ten, we are deeply thankful for alumni like Jaidyn who embody what’s possible when young people are supported, encouraged, and believed in.