Neeti Agarwal and
her husband are both engineers by trade, so when they heard about Engineeringfor Kids, they knew they could utilize their background to transition to this opportunity.
Neeti came to the
United States 15 years ago with her husband to work in the engineering profession. Her husband is an industrial engineer and Neeti an electrical
engineer who has been in the digital analytics business for Comscore for the
past eight years. Before that, partly as a need to stay home to raise her kid,
Neeti worked as a freelancer and consultant in the analytics business.
What do you have
coming up to launch your Engineering for Kids business?
We have an open house planned for May 11 showcasing
activities from our curriculum. We have hands-on activities planned for
children such as designing and constructing rockets, roller coasters to
robotics, and much more!
How did you learn
about the brand?
I have a 12-year-old daughter and was looking for after-school
programs that can teach her Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
concepts through hands-on activities. I found EFK doing a Google search. Once I
looked into the curriculum and program I knew it was a right fit for me.
Why did you choose
an opportunity with Engineering for Kids?
I came to this country 15 years ago. This country has
given me so much; I was looking for a way to give back to the community. I
found the perfect opportunity through EFK. I love the curriculum. EFK makes
learning fun.
Are you involved
with any charities or do any community outreach with your business?
I recently worked with the middle Tennessee Girl Scouts on
STEM stimulus day. I was there to talk about electrical engineers and did a
small workshop on building a circuit from the EFK curriculum. I am looking
forward to doing more outreach activities like this.
What will your
staff be like when you offer the summer camps?
Right now, I have six part-time teachers and they’re
going to teach the summer camps, but I’ll be there to supervise the EFK
curriculum. Our teachers have a higher education background, whether currently
in school, recently graduated, or seasoned educator; some are even Engineers!
Each instructor goes through a national background check and complete training
on our curriculum and classroom management. Our student teacher ratios are the
lowest!
What are your
expansion or development plans? What is your end goal with Engineering for Kids?
My end goal will be to collaborate with schools within Davidson
and Williamson counties and offer the programs in partnership with them. I am
considering adding more counties too.
What are some of
the publications you read? Local? National? What is your goal publication with
your business?
The Tennessean
and other local papers in Nashville and surrounding areas would be good to be
in. The Nashville Parent already
covered a press release on me, and I advertised there.
Do you have any
other interesting hobbies or passions?
I like to teach kids math and I
also paint and cook a lot.
Before starting her
own Engineering for Kids franchise, Patty Potts worked in environmental and
occupational health. Working primarily as the environmental and occupational
health engineering specialist, Potts trained more than 1000 employees over the
course of 10 years in this field. 
A native of Hong
Kong, Leung moved to San Francisco in 1983 and received a degree in marketing
and sales management from San Francisco State University. Leung did advertising
sales for several years before making a career change into commercial real
estate marketing. In 2000 she decided to become a real estate agent and was
later recruited into an account management position for Fidelity National Title
for 7 years. In 2010 she went back into real estate sales for Prudential. In
2012 she was named one of Prudential’s top 7 producers.
Shu-ling Garver, a
native of China, came to the U.S. in 1986 after receiving a bachelor’s degree
in English Literature from a university in Shanghai. Once arriving in the
United States, she received both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in
Computer Science and Engineering. Garver
has worked for Intel since 1989 as an engineering manager and marketing manager
enabling the industry with Intel Architecture. At Intel, she also dedicated
herself to engaging female engineers, mentoring them and getting young girls
involved in the industry. 
The third full week of February is National Engineers Week! Started in 1951 by the National Society of Professional Engineers, this week is observed by more than 79 engineering, educational, and cultural societies along with more than 50 corporations and government agencies. The week is scheduled to coincide with the birthday of President George Washington, whom many consider the nation's first engineer (likely due to his extensive survey work).