My name is Victoria Wright-Haggins. I'm originally from Lakeland, Florida. Now I split my time between Miami, Florida, and Cambridge, Massachusetts. I attend an innovation school on MIT's campus, where I developed a passion for engineering. A friend of mine, who is at the best HBCU for technology and engineering, had to teach his peers how to use machinery like the 3D printer. He was in awe of the lack of engineering education taught to some kids of color before college. I was also talking to a respectable businesswoman, who shared with me that most of the meetings she goes to talk about the lack of black engineers and how that number gets smaller and smaller every year. Given all these insights, Lollipop 3D Printing was born, which aims to expose kids of color to the world of 3D printing, engineering, and business.
Our mission is to teach kids to be self-sufficient in 3D printing by the time they go off to college. A major barrier is that 3D printing is super expensive, but Lollipop 3D Printing aims to make 3D printing free. With this non-profit, we aim to inspire minds and foster creativity through 3D printing workshops.
One of the most amazing parts of the program is that the students get to meet people of color who have been pioneers in their field, such as Katrice Stubbs, who is the first black female Chief Division Council in the Miami Field Office and was one of the lead case agents in the Blackwater case. Throughout the course, students get to practice their problem-solving, communication, and design skills, all of which are very important in any field.
Some of our goals for the near future are to have 5+ afterschool programs with the Lollipop 3D Printing materials and have 10+ students with personal 3D printers at home, also following the Lollipop 3D Printing workshop ideologies.
We would love for you to be a part of the Lollipop family. I can't wait to set up a meeting with you to discuss future ventures and gain your support for this non-profit. In future meetings, we will discuss more about Lollipop 3D printing, and I will do my best to answer the questions you have. When can you meet?
Let's Lollipop!
