Frequently Asked Questions

A.S.C.E.N.T. stands for Advancing Strong Curiosity & Exploration in New Thinkers™.

We are a high school and undergraduate student-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring a lifelong passion for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) in elementary and youth students from PreK through 6th grade.

We operate under key core values that set us apart from standard school clubs:

• Quality Over Quantity: We focus on launching highly impactful, memorable events—such as 100+ student Family STEAM Nights, book-writing competitions, and science fairs—rather than filler activities just for volunteer hours. These events occur from daily to weekly in all of our districts!
• The Community Pipeline: Our system builds an ongoing pathway: from curious elementary student, to active explorer, to high school/undergraduate volunteer teacher, and ultimately to a real-world changemaker.
• Future-Changing Focus: Every curriculum and activity we design emphasizes how the topic can directly change the world for the better, from medicine and engineering to environmental conservation and creative arts.

Yes! ASCENT Club™ is a fully recognized 501(c)(3) California Public Benefit Corporation (IRS EIN: 41-4511970). All monetary contributions, sponsorships, and physical donations (such as our book drives) are 100% tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. Donors automatically receive a printable tax receipt upon donating.

Our chapters host a wide variety of hands-on educational initiatives, including:

• Family STEAM Nights: Large-scale, interactive evening events hosted at local schools where 100+ students and their families engage in rotating science and engineering experiments.
• Annual Science Fairs: District-wide fairs where students design experiments, test hypotheses, and showcase their findings to the community.
• Book-Writing Competitions: Statewide creative writing programs for elementary students, where winners have their original books formally published!
• Curriculum Creation: Our team develops custom educational games, videos, presentations, and interactive labs that are freely accessible to students and educators.
• Mentorship & Tutoring: We host dedicated math tutoring sessions, short-term campus STEAM clubs, and massive book drives (often raising over $3,000 in books per drive).

All experiments, interactive labs, and educational presentations are developed and led by our dedicated teams of high school and undergraduate student volunteers. By having passionate young adults and teenagers mentor younger students, we foster a relatable, encouraging environment where children feel excited to ask questions and explore.

Any motivated high school or undergraduate student who wants to make a genuine impact in their local community can start an ASCENT Club chapter at their school! We currently operate across more than 8 chapters statewide (including schools in Garden Grove, Irvine, Santa Ana, Anaheim, and Fremont districts) and are continuously expanding.

Starting a chapter is simple and backed by our full organizational support:

• Visit our Start A Chapter or Chapters page to register your interest.
• Reach out directly to our leadership team via our contact page or email us at ezekielgonzalez@ascentclub.org.
• We provide chapter presidents with all the resources needed—including pre-made curricula, event planning guides, volunteer tracking tools, and regional executive support.

Leading a chapter or serving on our Student Executive Officer Board is an incredible way to gain leadership experience, earn meaningful volunteer hours, and build a standout profile for college applications while changing lives.

If you are an elementary school principal, teacher, PTA member, or parent interested in bringing a Family STEAM Night, tutoring program, or science fair to your school, simply visit our Contact/Officers page or send us a message. Our Regional Executive Directors will connect with you to coordinate an event tailored to your students.

You can create a free account right here on our website! By registering for an account, you will automatically be added to our newsletter to receive updates on upcoming Family STEAM Nights, local chapter initiatives, volunteer opportunities, and new curriculum releases. You can also follow us at our socials page

Operational sustainability is one of the core pillars of operation for our Student Executive Officers. We have over-time carefully designed everything from Bylaw officer transitions to Chapter president integrations to Student Executive Officer passing/teaching systems, to ensure that ASCENT and its youth get quality education and inspiration for much longer than the foreseeable future! As for environmental sustainability, ASCENT has made a commitment, in our governing documents and operations, to utilize as much environmentally-friendly resources as possible, whether that is AI, Web-Hosting, or recyclable experiment materials!