About

Spokes is an MIT-based, non-profit, student-run initiative to rethink STEAM education. This year will be the 11^th iteration of this program at MIT.

This summer, Spokes is sending a team of 8 MIT students on a cross-country bike ride starting on the steps of Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. and ending at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Over the course of 80 days, our team will bike over 4,000 miles and host Learning Festivals in schools, libraries, and correctional facilities in 11 towns along the way. You can check out our route here!

WHO WE ARE

We are a team of 8 students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA. We all came to MIT to pursue our passions in math, science, art, design, and the humanities, but more importantly, we believe in sharing our knowledge with others in to inspire future generations. Check out our biographies below to learn more about each one of us!

WHAT WE DO

We create curriculums that complement each host’s curriculum inspired by MIT’s hands-on approach to education. We teach these workshops to schools, libraries, and summer camps all across the United States. We establish strong connections with communities, students, and host families along the way. We document our experiences. We sweat (a lot). We become a family.

Oh yeah… and we bike the whole 4,000 miles.

Why Bike?

We want to show that yes, engineers and scientists can be athletic too. We’re breaking stereotypes. We’re also stepping out of our comfort zones, physically and mentally. And…how many people can say they’ve biked across the United States of America?

We need your help

We’d love to do what we do for free, but with a trip this big, we need the support of dedicated individuals like yourself. We’re looking to crowdsource $7,500 to make this trip happen, on top of large corporate sponsorships. If you are a cycling advocate or enthusiast, please consider supporting our journey. If you connect with our mission and want to help us reach out to kids across America, please consider supporting us.

Meet the Team

Charles Ge

Hi! I’m Charles, a senior from Seattle majoring in 2A-6 (mechanical engineering with computer science). I’m also in the NEET Autonomous Machines track, concentrating in Urban Planning, and I mentor at the Edgerton makerspace.

Outside of class, I spend a lot of time with my very rowdy, very orange, very bad at hockey living group, the Burton Third Bombers. I also enjoy watching sports (go Mariners!), messing with things I shouldn’t be messing with, skiing, and listening to music.

I joined Spokes because I figured biking across the country seemed like a pretty crazy thing to do. I’m super stoked for the learning festivals we’ll be hosting on our trip because I can still remember the formative STEM demos that blew my mind as a kid and made me want to become an engineer. Now that I’ve started training, I’m a bit less stoked about the whole biking 4000 miles thing… jk, I’m really excited for Spokes and I can’t wait to cherish every moment with this team from DC to SF!!

Greta Lawler

Hi!! My name is Greta Lawler and I’m a sophomore from Arlington, Virginia.

I’m studying Course 3 (Materials Science and Engineering) with a Concentration in Urban Studies and Planning and a Minor in Chinese. I’m part of the MIT Energy and Climate Club , Science Policy Initiative , French House, Running Club, and @mittheta! After college, I want to apply my materials science degree to expand access to clean energy resources and accelerate the transition to a more circular economy. I’ll never get tired of thinking and talking about the grid, US foreign policy, and whether or not we’re going to have an AI-pocalypse .

Outside of class, you’ll most likely find me yapping somewhere… but my other hobbies include running , cooking , reading , and travel photography ! I’m planning to run my first marathon sometime soon, but an Ironman might just be calling my name post Spokes… (Follow me on Strava @Greta Lawler??)

I’m absolutely over the moon to be a part of this awesome team! I’m so grateful for the opportunities I had to see science as something fun and creative and I can’t wait to share that experience with kids all along our route!!! And of course, I’m already daydreaming about sweaty mid-ride ice cream stops , summer nights under the stars , and chatting with new friends made along the way. Support our mission at the crowdfunding link in our bio and follow our adventure through our blog at mitspokes.com!

Ishaq Balogun

Hi! I’m Ishaq, a senior/MEng from Charlottesville, Virginia studying computer science and molecular biology, with a minor in music. For my thesis, I’m developing a computational method for large-scale trait association studies in bacteria – basically finding out if some gene A is correlated with some gene B, but I promise, its harder than it sounds. More specifically, I’m trying to understand how bacterial immune systems evolve (and hopefully wrapping that up before we start biking across the country… fingers crossed).

Outside of research, I love being outside and active — whether that’s biking, hiking, snowboarding, or dragging friends to the gym. I’ve played classical and jazz bass since I was 10, and these days you’ll find me playing Senegalese drums in MIT’s West African music ensemble or hosting my own radio show at the campus station.

Teaching has always been a big part of my life — from summers teaching middle schoolers CS to tutoring at TSR^2 on campus, I love the moment when a tricky concept suddenly clicks for someone. I joined Spokes partly for the future dad lore, but mostly because it felt like the perfect mix of adventure, community, and impact — a chance to explore the country, stay active, and hopefully share a little bit of what I love along the way.

Joseph Alvarez

Hello everyone! My name is Joseph Alvarez and I’m a freshman! I’m from the small town of Gainesville, GA and I plan on majoring in Course 16 (Aerospace Engineering). I definitely want to work on stuff in the Astro side of the field in the future. I’ve never been much of an athlete outside of really liking to hike in the mountains, so I’m kinda throwing myself into the deep end when it comes to training for Spokes, but I’m making good progress! I’ve recently been trying to get into creating a wide variety of objects and contraptions from scratch, since in my eyes it’s one of the coolest abilities to have. The reasons I joined Spokes are because a cross country cycling trip is a special kind of crazy that appeals greatly to me, and being given the opportunity to spark the curiosity of students in oftentimes underprivileged situations is something that hits close to home for me and is something I wish I had more of growing up. I think what I’m most excited for is growing closer with the rest of the Spokes team as we spend our days together and overcome the many, many, many challenges that we will face on our journey.

Ramona Poreitere

Hi! I’m Ramona. I am a freshman right now, an international student from Latvia and I’m planning to major in mathematics – yeah!! maths!!!🧐🤓👩‍💻 and its applications!!!🐚🚀🌊

I joined Spokes for two reasons. 1️⃣First, perhaps unsurprisingly, I love cycling and exploring both locally and through travel! ⛺🌲♾️ 2️⃣ And second, more importantly, I can confidently say that a lot of my personal interest in maths, physics and computer science came from outside of school – finding role models and mentors, seeing how passionate they are about their work, broadening my perception of what is out there, and making friends with whom I could explore these interests.💬👩‍🏫☀️ Which is why I think initiatives like Spokes are a really awesome way to enrich the experiences of youth coast-to-coast, share the joy we have for our passions and to inspire! 💫⚡💥

I don’t know about you, but I am excited!! See you on the road!

Ruth Shiferaw

Hi! My name is Ruth, and I’m a senior in course 2. I’m getting my master’s in the fall to figure out what to do with that I’m from Boston, but I never get tired of exploring the city — and yes I do like clam chowder. I also like singing, playing card games, and looking at cute pictures of cats. I used to be a rower, but I’ve transitioned into doing random gym stuff/bluebiking everywhere — I even ran the Cambridge Half Marathon in November! I joined Spokes because I love teaching and traveling and meeting new people, and I wanted to do something that sounded absolutely insane this summer.

Sarah Schmitt

hello! my name is sarah schmitt, and i am a freshman from las vegas, nevada! 🏜️

i am currently planning on studying course 5-7 (chemistry and biology) 🧪🧬 with the goal of going to medical school to work in emergency medicine/critical care! 🚑 i am also a UROP (undergrad researcher) in the laub lab studying bacterial immune systems, and a member of MIT PMS (pre-medical society)! 🦠💊

outside of class, i spend most of my time on the track as a pole vaulter with the track and field team! 👟 i also have interests in the visual arts, working for the list visual arts center as a student art guide 🌷 i love to draw (traditionally and digitally) and paint myself, as well journal and read (mostly sci-fi/fantasy) 📚 i’m always down for an iced chai and to explore the great city of boston and the new england area! ☕️🏙️

i joined spokes to share my love of the life sciences in a creative and engaging way, see the united states in a whole new, unique way, and truly challenge myself both physically and mentally. i am so excited for this once-in-a-lifetime journey, and to spark passion into the wonderful young students across the nation! 🚲💗⭐️

Tian Lin

I first heard about MIT Spokes five years ago from my friend Duha, and I remember thinking then that biking across the USA while teaching STEM was not for me. First of all, why would anyone want to bike in the heat of the summer? I only step outside out of necessity after the temperature hits 85F/30C.

But in the last five years, something changed. Perhaps it was because my college friends were adventure seekers I met at the Yellowstone National Park. Perhaps it was because I gained a renewed understanding of myself from studying acting. Or perhaps it was because somewhere along my journey of traveling to 23 countries, I became addicted to seeing beautiful places and meeting beautiful people.

This change caused me to pursue the most thrilling trip of my 2.5 years of traveling, cycling from Washington DC to San Francisco while teaching underserved youth along the way. My name is Tian and I am an MIT alum with a degree in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science and Theater Arts. I am a software engineer by profession and a wannabe actor + aspiring content creator. You can win over my heart by feeding me mangos.