<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Josepha's Kapamilya for Outreach & Advancement in STEAM]]></title><description><![CDATA[Σmpowering Future Scientists]]></description><link>https://www.jkoaoutreach.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Sat, 17 Oct 2026 17:09:48 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.jkoaoutreach.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Oct 3, 2026 | J-KOA National Board Meeting October 2026]]></title><description><![CDATA[Attendees: Koya, Toni, Eric, Alex, Danielle Excused: Andrea Notes Ice breaker - What is something you consider to be the most important quality in a good leader? Koya - Ability to Inspire There will be times when everyone is going through it and you need to have the strength to push through to your end goal and get the whole team to the finish line Eric - The process of listening, discerning, &#38; integrating  Strongest leader is often the quietest one in the room Toni - Ability to Delegate The...]]></description><link>https://www.jkoaoutreach.com/post/oct-3-2026-j-koa-national-board-meeting-october-2026</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ac14ae15188bfec3898e43d</guid><category><![CDATA[Meeting Minutes]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 03 Oct 2026 18:35:55 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Toni Nicole Vallido</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sep 19, 2026 | J-KOA National Board Meeting September 2026]]></title><description><![CDATA[Attendees: Koya, Toni, Danielle, Eric, Andrea Excused: Alex Notes Ice breaker: beyond the fall foliage and changing weather, what does fall mean to you? (10-20 min) Eric: Feeling alright, have lab meeting this week; Fall isn’t a thing here (San Diego) so I don’t feel the passage of time BUT usually Fall is big for family time and travel; would like to see some foliage!! Danielle: Fall was always skipped here lol; Fall is a time for tying up loose ends, planning for the holidays, winding down,...]]></description><link>https://www.jkoaoutreach.com/post/sep-19-2026-j-koa-national-board-meeting-september-2026</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aba0359820095e0395bb92a</guid><category><![CDATA[Meeting Minutes]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 19 Sep 2026 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Toni Nicole Vallido</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Aug 26, 2026 | National J-KOA Board Meeting August 2026]]></title><description><![CDATA[Attendees: Koya, Eric, Danielle, Alex Excused: Toni, Andrea Notes (Please note that due to Toni’s inability to attend, this meeting’s minutes were AI generated using Zoom’s annotations) Organizational Vision — 5-Year Goals Independent 501(c)3 status identified as the shared top priority across all board members — currently operating under ACC fiscal sponsorship in a transitional state. Branch expansion target: Danielle proposed growing from 3 to 5 branches at a rate of roughly one per year to...]]></description><link>https://www.jkoaoutreach.com/post/aug-26-2026-national-j-koa-board-meeting-august-2026</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aba0214e3d652319309e420</guid><category><![CDATA[Meeting Minutes]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2026 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>jkoainfo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Message From the President of Aurora's KOA]]></title><description><![CDATA[Hello, all! My name is Alexandria Becks, and I am incredibly thankful to be acting as the President of the Aurora branch of J-KOA this 2026-2027 academic year. I was lucky enough to join J-KOA two years ago as a mentor. I have always felt that scientific outreach is important; without it, I wouldn’t be in this position in my career as a PhD candidate. I am lucky enough that my family is incredibly supportive, but before me, none of my family or friends had entered science as a career. I was...]]></description><link>https://www.jkoaoutreach.com/post/a-message-from-the-president-of-aurora-s-koa</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ac08276bbf18a1ccb313c20</guid><category><![CDATA[Aurora KOA]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 17 Aug 2026 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/59dae2_c2a0b8c49f0a42ddbafd95a5d9883aa0~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Alex Becks</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What a year it has been.]]></title><description><![CDATA[As I sit down to write this year's reflection, I can't help but chuckle a bit; the year most definitely does not end in July, and yet the fact that it's already been a year is still hard for me to process. Growing up, I never envisioned that my life would look like this: teaching young kids about STEM, running outreach events, and talking with others about the challenges science education faces in reaching younger audiences. If anything, my biggest dream was simply to be someone's mentor and...]]></description><link>https://www.jkoaoutreach.com/post/what-a-year-it-has-been</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6abb09f6047535840390dd9b</guid><category><![CDATA[Bay Area KOA]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 31 Jul 2026 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/59dae2_c1caa3f476a94ac789599034da789127~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Andrea Zabala</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Jul 25, 2026 | J-KOA July 2026 National Board Meeting]]></title><description><![CDATA[Attendees: Koya, Toni, Andrea, Danielle, Alex Excused: Eric, Oscar Notes Ice breaker - what is "the hill you'd die on?" Koya: Education is a silver bullet; a lot of our worlds problems could be fixed if everyone truly had equitable access to education Danielle: Athletes should not be paid NEARLY as much as they are compared to other people in other fields Andrea: Your 20’s should be to make mistakes, explore and have fun. Not supposed to have it all figured out Alex: Social Media has made...]]></description><link>https://www.jkoaoutreach.com/post/jul-25-2026-j-koa-july-2026-national-board-meeting</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aba0182820095e0395bb605</guid><category><![CDATA[Meeting Minutes]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 25 Jul 2026 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Toni Nicole Vallido</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Jun 30, 2026 | J-KOA June 2026 National Board Meeting]]></title><description><![CDATA[Attendees: Koya, Toni, Danielle, Eric, Alex Notes Icebreaker - Which do you consider to be the strongest emotion? Toni: Panic - when we’re panicking, we’re not always thinking clearly Eric: Love - it can make some good things, but it can make some bad things as well: love-bombing is real and love can drive us to do both positive and negative things Danielle: It depends on what’s driving you, fear and love both drive us for different reasons! Koya: Taking answer from a friend: Nostalgia can be...]]></description><link>https://www.jkoaoutreach.com/post/jun-30-2026-j-koa-june-2026-national-board-meeting</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aba010de3d652319309e20d</guid><category><![CDATA[Meeting Minutes]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 30 Jun 2026 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Toni Nicole Vallido</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Our First Step Forward: The Story of Bay Koa's Inaugural Event ]]></title><description><![CDATA[We Did It! After months of planning, ups and downs, and a crew fueled by nothing more than hope and passion, we are thrilled to share that Bay Koa successfully hosted its first event on April 22nd, 2026, at the Yolo County Library in Clarksburg, and we are beyond grateful to them for welcoming us on such a special day. If you are curious about how it all came together, you are in the right place. Let's dive into what the behind-the-scenes and the big day itself were really like. Months before...]]></description><link>https://www.jkoaoutreach.com/post/our-first-step-forward-the-story-of-bay-koa-s-inaugural-event</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6abb062594661249c3e590c9</guid><category><![CDATA[Bay Area KOA]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 05 Jun 2026 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/59dae2_1be753fa99ca49728d503df3a52550c0~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_631,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Andrea Zabala</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Apr 26, 2026 | National Board Hangout and Board Meeting]]></title><description><![CDATA[Attendees: (in-person) Koya, Toni, Eric, Danielle (online) Oscar, Andrea Notes Ice breaker: What's one technological or scientific advancement you believe poses both the greatest risk and the greatest benefit to humanity? Skipping for time Quote shared by Koya to start the meeting Board updates: National President Proposal: renaming/repurposing the TEKS Mentorship Program acronym to make it more resume friendly  National Treasurer: financial update Q1 report (Jan-March 2026) Gross profit...]]></description><link>https://www.jkoaoutreach.com/post/apr-26-2026-national-board-hangout-and-board-meeting</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ab9f627370fa334316f5365</guid><category><![CDATA[Meeting Minutes]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 26 Apr 2026 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Toni Nicole Vallido</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Mar 28, 2026 | J-KOA National Board Meeting]]></title><description><![CDATA[Attendees: Koya, Toni, Oscar, Andrea, Eric Excused: Danielle Notes Icebreaker: What do you think is the difference between direction and vision when structuring plans and strategies? Andrea: Vision is motivation and end goal, direction is the processes Eric: Vision is scope, direction is execution Oscar: echos vision is scope, direction is execution Toni: Vision is big picture, direction is more step by step, benchmarks to get there Koya: Vision is the end product, direction is the...]]></description><link>https://www.jkoaoutreach.com/post/mar-28-2026-j-koa-national-board-meeting</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ab9f224370fa334316f4bf5</guid><category><![CDATA[Meeting Minutes]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 28 Mar 2026 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Toni Nicole Vallido</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Feb 14, 2026 | J-KOA February 2026 National Board Meeting]]></title><description><![CDATA[Attendees: Koya, Toni, Eric, Danielle, Oscar Excused: Andrea Notes Icebreaker: Happy Birthday Toni! (Everyone is sharing a memory/appreciation + making a wish for Toni) Eric Core memory: PIFA - literally telling everyone about it + KBBQ and Ross Run Wish: More tenacity and strength to keep going for the year Danielle Core memory: Lunch last Christmas! Wish: That you get to pursue an adventure this year whether thats travel or a hobby, etc. Oscar Core Memory: really appreciate what you do for...]]></description><link>https://www.jkoaoutreach.com/post/feb-14-2026-j-koa-february-2026-national-board-meeting</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ab9f1b32c4f838a2557b8e7</guid><category><![CDATA[Meeting Minutes]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 14 Feb 2026 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Toni Nicole Vallido</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Jan 17, 2026 | J-KOA National Board  January Meeting]]></title><description><![CDATA[Attendees: Koya, Toni, Danielle, Oscar, Andrea, Eric Notes Icebreaker (15 min): What's one New Year's Resolution you did not make and why? Oscar:  Does not make new years resolution; finds it psychologically challenging to make a day one goal Will usually set a resolution of sorts later in the year status: okay, keeping tabs on family with people they personally know getting taken in the LA area Eric:  goal sets around spring Resolution not made: about physical activity because he’s...]]></description><link>https://www.jkoaoutreach.com/post/jan-17-2026-j-koa-national-board-january-meeting</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ab9f12a3ad35a60dc4b9d79</guid><category><![CDATA[Meeting Minutes]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 17 Jan 2026 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Toni Nicole Vallido</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Dec 20, 2025 | J-KOA National All-Hands Meeting December 2025]]></title><description><![CDATA[Attendees: Koya, Toni, Eric, Danielle, Andrea, Lily, Oscar, Harini, Ana Notes (15 min) Ice breaker: Questionnaire White Elephant o Questions from this list will be assigned a random number in a specific category. Each attendee can ‘open’ a question, and they must answer whichever question or prompt they open. Attendees can then either choose a different question to ‘open’ or they can ‘steal’ a question from another attendee who has already opened one. Each question may only be ‘stolen’ a...]]></description><link>https://www.jkoaoutreach.com/post/dec-20-2025-j-koa-national-all-hands-meeting-december-2025</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ab9f04f370fa334316f4879</guid><category><![CDATA[Meeting Minutes]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 20 Dec 2025 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Toni Nicole Vallido</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Nov 15, 2025 | November 2025 J-KOA National Board Meeting]]></title><description><![CDATA[Attendees: Koya, Toni, Danielle, Eric, Maydha, Kia Notes Icebreaker: If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be? What would you keep/preserve? (10 minutes) Eric Change: wouldn’t change things Keep: Preserve the way my parents showed me how to show affection and care for people Toni Change: I would have said yes to travel more Keep: Parents always encouraged us to pursue whatever we wanted and never pressured us to go any one particular path Danielle Change:...]]></description><link>https://www.jkoaoutreach.com/post/nov-15-2025-november-2025-j-koa-national-board-meeting</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ab9efa83ad35a60dc4b9a6e</guid><category><![CDATA[Meeting Minutes]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 15 Nov 2025 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Toni Nicole Vallido</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Oct 4, 2025 | J-KOA October 2025 National Board Meeting]]></title><description><![CDATA[Attendees: Koya, Danielle, Toni, Eric Notes If you could ask a crystal ball any question, what would you ask? Danielle: Powerball money Toni: How to [redacted] shifty eye emoji Koya: What day would I meet my future partner? Historian and Treasurer updates (10 minutes, 5 min/department) Treasurer: no major updates, finishing moving into new space with work so able to move forward for next things Amazon account Historian: No real updates Contacting Andrea and Oscar about updating the website...]]></description><link>https://www.jkoaoutreach.com/post/oct-4-2025-j-koa-october-2025-national-board-meeting</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ab9eee4757c56b7bd3c68f2</guid><category><![CDATA[Meeting Minutes]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 04 Oct 2025 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Toni Nicole Vallido</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sep 6, 2025 | J-KOA September 2025 National Board Meeting]]></title><description><![CDATA[Attendees: Koya, Danielle, Eric, Toni  Excused: Andrea, Oscar Notes Icebreaker: bring an object that ties you to your heritage--familial or chosen--and be prepared to explain why it's significant to you. Eric: Pillow that was on his grandmother’s couch when he was a baby.  Reminds him of a time when he was young and all the stuff they used to do together. Other item is a sheet that’s like “all Black folks have these sheets” type of blanket. Danielle: Pictures! Family has stacks and stacks of...]]></description><link>https://www.jkoaoutreach.com/post/sep-6-2025-j-koa-september-2025-national-board-meeting</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ab9ee0e757c56b7bd3c6792</guid><category><![CDATA[Meeting Minutes]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 06 Sep 2025 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Toni Nicole Vallido</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Jul 11, 2025 | J-KOA June 2025 BOD Meeting]]></title><description><![CDATA[Attendees: Koya, Toni, Devi, Oscar, Humberto, Andrea, Ana, Eric, Brian Excused: Brisa, Stephanie, Sujatha, Erin Notes Ice breaker: what are you most proud of in your time serving as a J-KOA board member? Koya: Literally everything we’ve accomplished in the last two years! Everyone’s growth, our teamwork and our efforts!! Toni: Building the website and branding so that J-KOA can represent itself well Devi: Getting the Bay Area KOA foundation built Oscar: Doing a tabling event for the Native...]]></description><link>https://www.jkoaoutreach.com/post/jul-11-2025-j-koa-june-2025-bod-meeting</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ab9ebb0e3d652319309b55c</guid><category><![CDATA[Meeting Minutes]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 11 Jul 2025 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Toni Nicole Vallido</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Jun 20, 2025 | J-KOA June BOD Meeting]]></title><description><![CDATA[Attendees: Koya, Toni, Andrea, Oscar, Amy, Kayla, Harini, Erik, Abhishek, Kevin, Ana Excused: Alexi, Brisa, Humberto, Jeffrey Notes Pre-meeting: Koya brought treats from France!! He’s also clumsy and hurt himself Andrea is literally graduating TODAYYYYY (we’re kicking her off at 5 PM so she can get ready) Icebreaker: What does summer mean to you? Koya: Walking outside and a blanket of warmth enveloping you Erik: Freedom Abhishek: (hi, I’m new!!) Sitting at the park with cocktails Oscar: Heat,...]]></description><link>https://www.jkoaoutreach.com/post/jun-20-2025-j-koa-june-bod-meeting</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ab9ea003ad35a60dc4b90aa</guid><category><![CDATA[Meeting Minutes]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 20 Jun 2025 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Toni Nicole Vallido</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Apr 11, 2025 | J-KOA April 2025 BOD Meeting]]></title><description><![CDATA[Attendees: Koya, Toni, Andrea, Devi, Lily, Oscar, Erin, Erik, Humberto, Kayla Excused: Alexandria, Amy Notes Icebreaker: one word about how you're doing followed by a word on where you're headed Koya: Jumbled, Sharp/Focused Andrea: Thrilled, Bed Devi: Tired, to Innovation Lily: Trying, Thriving Oscar: One Direction, New Directions Erin: Chaos, Progress Erik: In-Limbo, Hopefulness Humberto: Good, Planning Kayla: Scrambled, Steady Toni: Exhausted, Forward TEKS 2025-2026 planning including CUPS,...]]></description><link>https://www.jkoaoutreach.com/post/apr-11-2025-j-koa-april-2025-bod-meeting</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ab9e896c78acb9707b46390</guid><category><![CDATA[Meeting Minutes]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 11 Apr 2025 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Toni Nicole Vallido</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Mar 14, 2025 | J-KOA March 2025 BOD Meeting]]></title><description><![CDATA[Attendees: Koya, Toni, Oscar, Andrea, Alexi, Amy Excused: Alexandria, Eric Meeting Minutes Icebreaker (5-10 minutes): What do you envision J-KOA doing in the future now that we are past the Fair? Koya: A well-deserved break for everyone! Getting better established (shoutout to Oscar for orchestrating a CUPS collab; getting $6k for next year!!) Toni: Keeping kids excited for science and engaged in learning about science, social media things, mentorship foreverrrr Oscar: Well-oiled machine,...]]></description><link>https://www.jkoaoutreach.com/post/mar-14-2025-j-koa-march-2025-bod-meeting</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ab9e73ac78acb9707b460e1</guid><category><![CDATA[Meeting Minutes]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 14 Mar 2025 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Toni Nicole Vallido</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>