Nadiyah Tarver’s first connection to Brilliant Detroit was woven together by a series of organizational partnerships. As a member of The Co-Ette Club, an organization for young women that focuses on sisterhood, volunteerism, leadership, and philanthropy, Nadiyah volunteered with non profits in Metro Detroit, one of which was Summer in the City. In 2024, Brilliant Detroit partnered with Summer in the City, hosting their high school-age volunteers at our summer programs. Nadiyah was placed at the Russell Woods Hub and was impressed by its welcoming environment. While the variety of volunteer opportunities and flexible scheduling were appealing, what kept her coming back were the bonds she forged with the children.
That first summer, Nadiyah particularly enjoyed the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics) programming. An avid science lover herself, she saw a chance to leverage her passion and build a program of her own in order to serve the community. She approached Marissa Weber, Brilliant Detroit’s Education & Out of School Time Specialist to explore possibilities and learned of a large recent donation of Legos. With Marissa’s support, Nadiyah created a curriculum that aligned with state learning standards. The program had students learn about a concept and then bring it to life with Lego. For example, students learned about the parts of a cell and then created a robot cell out of Lego with different colors and shapes representing the different elements of a cell – in keeping with the summer camp theme, “Sci-Fi Mystery.”
Nadiyah was a favorite among Brilliant Detroit children, not only because she created fun and engaging activities, but also because she truly listened to their interests, and adapted activities to suit them. When children shared that they love playing Minecraft and Roblox, it sparked an idea. As a Minecraft lover herself, Nadiyah saw the potential of the game to expose students to new environments. She created a world within Minecraft that mimicked various real world biomes complete with natural features, plants, and animals. This program hasn’t been launched yet, but we can look forward to students teleporting between the areas, reading in-game signs about the environment they explore, and learning about concepts such as the food chain. Children will able to observe which animals are predators and prey, and then create a pecking order of their own.
Nadiyah graduated from Detroit Country Day School earlier this year and will be attending Harvard University in the fall. The impending move across the country has caused her to reflect on her time with Brilliant Detroit. From the bonds forged with children from that first summer at Russell Woods to the students she met a matter of weeks ago through reading assessments, they are all reminders that there are always opportunities to build up the next generation. Nadiyah is grateful to have found a way to share her passions with today’s youth. As a Black woman, she has experienced the disparities in STEAM program access within her community, and has used this opportunity at Brilliant Detroit to inspire countless youth to engage with STEM and let their dreams blossom into real life. We cannot thank her enough for the everlasting impact she has made at our hubs.
All it took was that first connection and seeing a Brilliant Detroit hub in action to spark an idea in Nadiyah’s mind. We encourage you to visit or volunteer at one of our neighborhood hubs to see our work in action. Connect with our Volunteer Team at volunteer@brilliantdetroit.org to explore how your skills and passions can contribute to Kid Success in a way most meaningful to you.