About Us
Mission Statement
We educate our youth through project-based learning and peer-mentoring to equip them to become self directed learners and innovators. We accomplish this by helping the young inquisitive minds identify and initiate high-impact projects through collaboration with peers and dialoguing with mentors and subject experts. Together, they learn engineering principles, design robots, develop critical thinking, problem solving and leadership skills, and see the possibility of changing the world even at a young age.
Board of Directors
It is with the greatest sadness we announce the passing of our founder and president, Qun Cai. Qun was a true visionary and a dedicated community leader in STEM education. In the past decade, she coached and mentored numerous students in STEM and LEGO robotics. Her passion for STEM education and community service have inspired many young innovators to carry on her legacy.
Feng Tian, President
Coach
Sigita Urbonas, Vice President
Sigita joined the Young Innovator Institute board in 2022 to support its mission of educating the next generation of innovators and problem-solvers. Sigita is focused on helping kids identify high-impact ideas and turn them into successful real-life projects through hands-on experiences, critical thinking, and collaboration with peers. Sigita has over 15 years of experience in the financial idustry, holds B.S. Degree in Economics and Finance, and is a CFA charterholder.
Xiaofei Dong, Treasurer/Secretary
Xiaofei joined the board to support the mission of using STEAM for better community building and raising next generation responsible citizens. She received her Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering and has been a consultant for digital designs on field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) for over a decade. Outside the professional world, she has been actively volunteering at several not for profit organizations. She is the president and a co-founder of The Art for Hope Foundation.
Coach-Mentors
Chungtai, FTC Mentor
Daniel, FTC Mentor
Zoey, FLL Mentor
