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July 7, 2023
Seattle, WA - Learn Fresh and MLB Players Trust are proud to announce the student selections for the 2023 MLB Players STEM League Global Championship. This year’s event, the first ever Global Championship in program history, will be held July 9-11th in Seattle, Washington in conjunction with MLB All-Star Week, and will feature participants drawn from STEM League programs across the U.S. and Latin America.
As part of this year’s event, students will participate in MLB All-Star celebrations, including experiences stewarded by Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodríguez. Rodríguez, known commonly as J-Rod, is a native of the Dominican Republic and rising young star. J-Rod will serve as an MLB Players STEM League ambassador during the 2023 Global Championship.
Launched in partnership with MLB Players Trust, MLB Players STEM League is a baseball-inspired STEM program for middle-school age youth. Built around a board game and curriculum, the program brings to life the energy of baseball while cultivating students’ math and social-emotional skills. The program launched in 2022 within the United States, and has since grown to serve students in Latin America and the Caribbean. During the 2023 season, MLB Players STEM League served 200 educators and over 10,000 students across all regions.
Last year, Learn Fresh and MLB Players Trust co-hosted the inaugural National Championship event in Los Angeles, CA during All-Star Week. Twenty-four students from across the nation participated in three days of intense gameplay, learning, and fun! After formally launching MLB Players STEM League in early 2022, Learn Fresh and the MLB Players Trust have held regional STEM League tournaments in Nassau, Bahamas in partnership with Babe Ruth League and the Bahamian National Sports Authority, as well as in Bogotá and Cúcuta, Colombia in partnership with Project Béisbol.
At this year’s Global Championship, students will have opportunities to explore the city of Seattle, engage in a STEM activation with NASA astronauts, and participate in All-Star Week festivities. The exciting list of activities rewards students for their hard work and dedication to the program while allowing them to showcase skills developed throughout the season as they compete to be named the first ever MLB Players STEM League Global Champion.
To qualify for application to the Global Championship, students must reach All-Star Student status during the season by displaying 1) a high degree of growth through the program, 2) a dedication to practicing good sportsmanship, and 3) an ability to overcome adversity either inside or outside the classroom. Students must also complete a minimum of 15 MLB Players STEM League games over the course of the season.
The participants for the 2023 MLB Players STEM League Global Championship are as follows:
Carlyon Flores (He/Him) - Belize City, Belize - St. Martin De Porres Primary School
Melony Perez (She/Her) - Guadalupe, Arizona - Guadalupe Boys & Girls Club
Aarion Raley (He/Him) - Charlotte, North Carolina - Knothole STEM
Cassidy Crespo (She/Her) - Newark, New Jersey - Elliott Street School
Katia A. Ramos (She/Her) - Ponce, Puerto Rico - Bright Minds
Ethan Siska (He/Him) - Kahului, Hawaii - Epic Training
Evan Martinez (He/Him) - El Paso, Texas - Horizon Middle School/Texas ACE
Fabiola Pacheco Pastor (She/Her) - Ponce, Puerto Rico - Bright Minds
Niko Rober (He/Him) - San Francisco, California - J Serra Elementary
Diego Diaz (He/Him) - St. Petersburg, Florida - Shore Acres Recreation Center
Ismael Cuevas (He/Him) - Cypress, California - Boys & Girls Club of Greater Anaheim/Cypress
Kamron Richardson (He/Him) - Saint Petersburg, Florida - Boys & Girls Club
William Buchanan (He/Him) - Seattle, Washington - Wallingford Boys & Girls Club
Benjamin Nelis Garfin (He/Him) - Seattle, Washington - Wallingford Boys & Girls Club
Anna McCollum (She/Her) - Seattle, Washington - Salmon Bay School
Jacob Burback (He/Him) - Seattle, Washington - Wallingford Boys & Girls Club
Rylie O’Donnell (She/Her) - Seattle, Washington - Salmon Bay K-8
Nicole Martel (She/Her) - Seattle, Washington - Salmon Bay K-8
Kieran Welter (He/Him) - Seattle, Washington - Salmon Bay K-8
Darius Tunduwani (He/Him) - Seattle, Washington - Salmon Bay K-8
John Whalen V (He/Him) - Seattle, Washington - Salmon Bay K-8
Anna Chou (She/Her) - Seattle, Washington - Salmon Bay K-8
Walker Spooner (He/Him) - Seattle, Washington - Salmon Bay K-8
About the Players Trust
Established in 1996, the Major League Baseball Players Trust is the charitable arm of the Major League Baseball Players Association. The Players Trust is a 501©3 non-profit organization that harnesses the expertise, influence, and passions of players to create meaningful and sustainable change in the lifelong well-being of others. The organization amplifies the social impact of players throughout the communities where they live, play, and call home, impacting thousands of nonprofits and individuals around the world. For additional information, please visit www.playerstrust.org. Follow the Players Trust on Twitter and Instagram (@MLBPA).
About Learn Fresh
Learn Fresh is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to inspire students’ STEM and social-emotional learning through sports and entertainment. Learn Fresh programs use community, play, and rigorous exploration to achieve these goals, and to date have engaged over 750,000 students across the US and beyond. Programs include NBA Math Hoops, MLB Players STEM League, STEM Goals, and the Fellowship For Culturally Inclusive Education. To learn more about NBA Math Hoops or sign up for a free training session, visit learnfresh.org/programs.
