Building the Future: How One Teen’s Vision for STEM Is Transforming Lives in Guatemala

"My name is Alexander Martiny.

I'm a 16 year old student growing up in Guatemala, and I've always been passionate about technology.

My parents, Timothy and Sharie Martiny, are missionaries who have served in Guatemala for over twenty years. They founded Cadaniño, a nonprofit ministry that runs Community Impact Centers offering afterschool programs for vulnerable children. Through these programs, students receive Spiritual Formation, Academic Reinforcement, and Family Strengthening services.

Today, Cadaniño serves 260 students in two centers serving some of Guatemala’s most at-risk communities.

While my parents have taught me many things, above all else, me and my siblings have learned that the talents God gives us aren't just for our own success, they're meant to be used to serve others.

Watching them live that out as missionaries in Guatemala showed me what it means to live with faith and compassion. Their example, and the impact I've seen through their work, is what inspired me launch an advanced STEM initiative for the students at Cadaniño. It started with a simple idea: what if I could give kids like me access to the same tools and opportunities I had been given? So, during my 2 week school break in June 2024, I launched an online fundraising campaign and raised $13,000 to bring that vision to life.

Over the past year, I used those funds to build and equip two fully functioning STEM labs at Cadaniño's centers in Colonia Santa Fe and San José Pinula. I researched and purchased equipment, built classroom  desks and furniture, installed 3D printers and provided robotics kits, trained Cadaniño teachers, and now volunteer regularly providing teacher support and teaching STEM classes. So far, 260 students have received 276 classes using the equipment I supplied to complete 1,443 hands-on STEM projects, many of them using this kind of technology for the first time in their lives.

But for me, it's not just about technology. It's about equipping students with confidence, problem-solving skills, and a vision for their future. I teach them to "Ask Questions, Imagine a Solution, Plan it Out, Create It, and then Improve." It's a design process that applies to engineering—but also to life.

After we inaugurated the second lab in February 2025, Guatemala's largest newspaper, the Prensa Libre, ran a featured story on the project. That article caught the attention of Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG), the country's top engineering university. They invited my dad and I for a visit, and what happened next was beyond anything I expected.

UVG is now exploring ways to offer full scholarships to Cadaniño students who show promise and passion for STEM. They're also considering sending their university students to volunteer as mentors in our programs.

Other organizations across Guatemala are also reaching out, asking how they can replicate this model in their own work. Over the next few months, I'll be looking for ways to help them with training, equipment, and advice, because I believe quality STEM education should be accessible to every child, not just a privileged few.

All of this started with a simple desire to use the skills I had to help others. And none of it would have been possible without the support of friends, family, and donors who believed in the vision. Everyone who has given has helped spark something much bigger than I ever imagined—and this is only the beginning.

To me, STEM isn't just about machines or code. It's about empowerment. It's about giving kids the tools they need to create, to explore, to dream, and to lead. Whether I'm 3D printing a part, teaching a class, or training teachers, I want my work to serve a greater purpose.

So here's my challenge to you: use what you've been given—your knowledge, your skills, your time—to help others. You don't need to be an expert, and you don't need to wait. I'm just a teenager, but this journey has shown me that you're never too young to lead, to serve, or to make a difference.

Let's build the future—one student at a time."

Alexander Martiny

VOLUNTEER STEM LEAD AT CADANIÑO

DONATE