The Library is an inspiring place where children, students, and adults share a public space of freedom and creativity. The Library provides much more than a "free" space though, it provides the teachers and tools needed to advance ideas and propel the community forward. Sasha Jaffarove is a perfect example of this, as a mentor of the Young Makers Club. Sasha is a young, passionate leader in the community who utilizes the Library to inspire others through this program.
"It has always been a passion of mine to be able to mentor and help be a guide for young minds to allow them to reach their goals by catering to their unique learning styles while still allowing them to have a passion for learning. The Santa Cruz library helped making this dream into a reality and providing the necessary resources for this project.
I remember as I was struggling to start the program, I first searched for different places that would host my maker space, I even tried a small private school but finally the library found me and said they would work with me to make my dream happen and on the first meeting 40 kids came.
I'm glad that this program puts smiles on the faces of young brilliant minds as they each struggle through different problems and thought processes. I also provide a wide range of materials so the kids have the ability to build whatever they wish which really requires them to engage their creative sides.
This might seem cliche but my goal is to help people through some sort of job in a stem field, even if I don't receive any credit or recognition for my work as long as I get the privilege of seeing others benefit from my work that will make me happy. Yes, I do hope to acquire a PHD one day in a field i enjoy so i can do research projects I feel that would be quite fun."
