Growing An Empire of Curious Minds in Las Vegas
By Leo and Elise Silva, Owners, Engineering For Kids of Las Vegas West
When we started Engineering For Kids of Las Vegas West in 2015, our goal wasn’t simply to teach children about engineering topics. We wanted to create a place where kids could have the freedom to build confidence and discover what they’re capable of.
As a former middle school teacher, Elise saw firsthand that many elementary students in our community had little access to hands-on STEM education. At the same time, Leo was looking for an opportunity to build a family business that could make a difference in our community. We knew the potential Las Vegas had with curious, creative young minds who simply needed the opportunity to explore STEM subjects in a fun and engaging way.
That opportunity became Engineering For Kids.
Over the past decade, we’ve had the privilege of working with tens of thousands of students through our camps, after-school programs, workshops, and partnerships with local schools and libraries. We’ve even had the privilege of opening our own learning center where children from all over can visit and learn. While we’ve watched many students develop a love for STEM, the lessons we’re most proud of actually have very little to do with engineering and more about resilience and confidence – one of the most valuable skills we believe children should develop.
It’s easy to think of failure as something to avoid. Let’s face it, no one wants to mess up in front of others. What we do differently is we actually encourage our students to embrace failure. When their bridge collapses or a robot doesn’t work, we remind our students that failure isn’t the end of the process. It’s information. It’s data that helps them improve their design, rethink their approach, and try again. Some of the biggest breakthroughs happen after the first try doesn’t go as planned.
Learning to embrace challenges instead of fearing them is a lesson that serves children far beyond the classroom.
We’ve also seen firsthand how STEM helps children grow socially and emotionally. One of our students who joined our program started with communication and collaboration struggles. As he worked through engineering challenges alongside his teammates, his confidence steadily grew. He learned how to share ideas, listen to others, and work toward a common goal. Years later, he thanked us during his graduation speech for helping shape the person he had become. Moments like that remind us why we do this work: to have an impact on lives.
One of the greatest joys of serving this community is watching students come full circle. Many of our former students have gone on to study STEM fields in college. Others have returned to work with us as instructors, helping inspire the next generation of young learners. Even those who didn’t pursue STEM fields still carry those valuable life skills that were taught in our classrooms. Seeing that cycle continue is incredibly rewarding.
Las Vegas is a community built by people from all over the world, bringing different experiences, perspectives, and ideas together. We believe that diversity of thought is one of our community’s greatest strengths, and it’s something we will continue to teach in our classrooms for as long as we can.
We don’t measure success by how many engineers we create. We measure it by how many children leave our programs believing they can solve problems, overcome challenges, and continue asking “What if?”
If we can help spark that curiosity in even one child, we’ve accomplished exactly what we set out to do.