The future is limitless for seven-year-old Jules Zion.
Zion recently completed a robotics program at MIT. His mother, Kiki Ayers, who founded Ayers Publicity and the nonprofit My Best Kid Life, said she was surprised by his interest in robotics. However, she always encouraged Zion to be multi-faceted, which is reflected in his endeavors such as making the kids team for Paris Saint-Germain, making history as the first Black and Latino to star as Troy Bolton in High School Musical, and performing courtside at a Los Angeles Clippers halftime show, according to information shared with AFROTECH™.
“It’s just good to have a well-versed kid,” Ayers said.
Science has been another common thread for Zion. His first-grade school project centered on the theme, “If you can’t be a champion on the court, you can be a champion somewhere else in the science lab,” Ayers recalled. Zion presented facts showing how difficult it is to go from high school to the NBA. So Zion’s backup plan is becoming a robotic engineer.
The project was designed to help the students practice public speaking. Zion’s work impressed his school and Ayers. She decided to search for programs that could nurture her son’s curiosity. She settled on the iD Tech BattleBots Camp at MIT for those ages 7 to 17.
Zion was a first-grader when he joined the program in July and was the youngest and one of two Black children in it. As part of a team of three, he built a robot called Mad Bunny.
“It was a car with bunny ears,” he recalled.
Zion was awarded for his robot, which earned the “Fastest Bot Achievement” for its outstanding speed, precision, and battlefield performance.
Ayers hopes more parents are inspired to support their children in STEM.
“It’s really important to get our kids into STEM. To the point that they’re probably not gonna be able to find a job if they’re not working in STEM. Everything is technology-based now,” she continued.
Looking ahead, Ayers said she would like to enroll Zion in a top-ranked STEM school in the city when he enters middle school. She also plans to continue placing him in STEM programs for the summer.
