Jay Flores
FOUNDER, INVENT THE CHANGE
YOU MAY HAVE SEEN this mechanical engineer on American Ninja Warrior, Telemundo, PBS, a Cheetos commercial, or performing his “It’s Not Magic It’s Science!” tricks for a crowd of kids.
Jay Flores was a naturally curious child whose parents encouraged him to explore the world around him. Thanks to local outreach, he found himself in an engineering summer camp that led to a degree and career.
It’s all come full circle, as Flores now gives back by inspiring young minds to do cool things in STEM. He left his job in the middle of the pandemic to start his dream business: Invent The Change. “I don’t want to be the first and only; I want to set a path for many more to come through here,” he said.
Flores shared that during his first season of American Ninja Warrior, he made it to the semi-finals and got airtime, showcasing a science experiment on stage. “A young Hispanic boy had a ‘wow’ reaction, and it was like a representation moment for me,” Flores said, adding that he will return to the show in 2024.
“Most big projects I’ve taken on, I wasn’t ready for when I set the goal. Have big dreams. You’ll grow into them.”
Jay Flores
Even if the diverse, inclusive world we want isn’t quite there yet, Flores believes we can build it online. “When these kids see it on social media, they’ll have less of that imposter syndrome and self-doubt.”
Using the entertainment factor of magic to create excitement in STEM, Flores’ YouTube episodes of It’s Not Magic It’s Science! feature experiments that are designed with equity in mind: Anybody that watches it should feel empowered to do it, and then go share it with somebody, he said.
“I can’t spoil it yet, but on the current season of America Ninja Warrior, I do an experiment—and got almost everything needed for it at the dollar store,” Flores said.
He encourages people to focus more on what they care about than the skill set itself. Many think they need to excel in math and science to make it in STEM. For Flores, those classes were the most difficult, but he took that as a challenge. “Most big projects I’ve taken on, I wasn’t ready for when I set the goal,” he said.
Flores is taking his experiments on tour to different communities, performing at school gymnasiums and cafeterias, and sometimes science museums and auditoriums.
To hear a complete discussion with Flores, listen to his interview with ASME CEO Tom Costabile on this episode of ASME's Unconventional Engineering.
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