A Mission to Empower: Q&A with Berenika Rozanska, Co-founder of Phoenix Space
Last November, we awarded $50,000 grants to 10 F5 STEM Education Grant Partners around the world to bolster their work providing STEM opportunities to women and girls of color.
Over the next several months, we’ll be shining the light on some of our 2024 STEM Education Grant Partners and the vital work they’re doing across the world.
Phoenix Space is a visionary initiative that empowers displaced and underprivileged students across the world with cutting-edge STEM educational programs and tools to develop scientific literacy, improve life chances, and empower communities.
In this first blog post in the series, we caught up with Berenika Rozanska, co-founder of Phoenix Space, to learn more about the organization and how its Kenya-based operations are benefiting from being an F5 STEM Education Grant Partner.
Q: How has your background helped shaped the work you do at Phoenix Space today?
Rozanska: I'm originally from Poland, though I currently live in Portugal. My interest in supporting education began early, as I’ve always felt passionate about empowering others— especially those without access to strong support systems.
Throughout my career, I’ve been deeply involved in initiatives aimed at empowering communities. Over time, I realized that there’s a significant gap when adults aren’t around to encourage children to pursue their dreams and passions. That’s where my interest in this area really took off.
Having worked on projects in different parts of the world, I became particularly focused on supporting communities in countries facing significant challenges. I’ve always believed in the power of education to transform lives, particularly in underserved communities.
Q: Can you share more about the formation of Phoenix Space and its evolution?
Rozanska: Absolutely. Phoenix Space was founded in late 2019 when our founder, Alevtina Nepomniachtchikh, was in Turkey witnessing the impact of the Syrian refugee crisis and how it affected young people. It was clear that many youths were left without proper educational opportunities, especially in STEM, which is so vital to their future. From that moment, she knew she had to do something to change that.
At the start, we focused on providing engaging STEM courses to children, with a focus on those aged between 10 and 17. We realized that in many countries and areas, the access to interactive and accessible STEM courses is literally non-existent.
So, we began offering dynamic and collaborative programs that really excited students. As we grew, we started partnering with renowned scientists and physicists from around the world, offering live lectures translated into local languages to make the content more accessible.
Since then, we’ve expanded our offerings to include digital upskilling for young adults and have added more courses for communities in regions like Turkey, Lebanon, and Ukraine.
This year, we’re very excited to continue our work in Kenya, thanks to F5’s support. Looking ahead, we are also exploring additional locations across Africa, as well as the UK and Asia.
Phoenix Space stands out for its practical, cutting-edge STEM programs in underserved communities across the world.
Q: Can you describe what you’re doing in Kenya and the impact you’re having there?
Rozanska: Thanks to F5’s support, we are piloting STEM programs in Kenya, and we are scaling fast. Later this year we are delivering one of our key programs, which is called the STEM Spark program.
This entails working with a group of 250 girls from one of the world’s biggest slums in Nairobi. The program is designed to spark curiosity in STEM, hence the name. It includes space science, math, engineering, and programming. The aim is to inspire, motivate, and equip our students with the tools to become self-sufficient and self-reliant in their communities.
Q: What advice do you have for young girls who want to succeed in STEM?
Rozanska: For me, to comes down to not giving up on your dreams. Whatever the circumstances, be faithful to yourself. STEM is based on experimentation and sometimes it doesn’t work on the first try. So, it’s important to keep going, to stay dedicated to what you want to achieve, and never give up.
Q: What are the secret ingredients to creating a truly impactful learning environment at Phoenix Space?
Rozanska: Our team is really excited about the work we are doing. We train local teachers and use their knowledge and expertise of the local environment to adjust courses to what truly resonates with students. We put a lot of care into both the individual needs of students and the local community. I think it also comes from the practical aspects of our courses. For example, conducting experiments with real-life impact and hands-on learning.
Q: Is there a story that exemplifies what Phoenix Space is all about?
Rozanska: We strive to understand each student’s individual goals and needs and help them to achieve these. We’ve worked with over 2,000 students so far, and each success story is unique.
A story I love is about one of our students from Syria. He was a refugee living in Turkey and had no interest in STEM whatsoever. After signing up for the Phoenix Space program, he really got into programming and took a few more courses with us. He is currently living in the U.S., having gained a scholarship to pursue STEM education. At the same time, he is already giving back by developing apps for refugees that are settling into new countries so that they can feel more empowered and supported in those circumstances. I think this one of our ideal student journeys, because it not only empowers the individual but also the whole community.
Q: What plans and ambitions do you have for Phoenix Space going forward?
Rozanska: The next big project we are focusing on is called the Resilience Academy. Pressing issues like climate change are increasingly displacing people around the world and impacting their educational opportunities. That’s why we’re creating short, intensive, and cost-effective courses to support those that need it most. Traditional schooling is often not agile and adaptable enough for our uncertain times.
To learn more about our STEM Education Grant program, visit the F5 Global Good webpage. Also, stay tuned for future Q&As with other nonprofit grant partners.