About SEAPERCH Foundation
SEAPERCH Foundation started because three kids asked a question most adults forget to ask: What happens to the teams who cannot afford the opportunity. We exist to make sure passion and potential matter more than budgets.
Mission
SEAPERCH Foundation brings STEM to life through underwater robotics, mentorship, and community programs that build confidence, real world skills, and pathways to success for all students.
Vision
A community where every student can learn by doing, explore engineering and robotics with confidence, and access meaningful STEM opportunities regardless of circumstance.
Our Story
How One SeaPerch Journey Sparked a Bigger Mission
SEAPERCH Foundation did not start as a big polished plan. It started with a question.
SEAPERCH Foundation began with student passion, family dedication, and a shared commitment to creating more opportunities for young engineers through SeaPerch and STEM.
In 2025, our founding team, PB & Jellyfish, then a fifth grade SeaPerch team, won the Alvin ISD Regional SeaPerch Challenge and earned a spot to compete at the International SeaPerch Challenge. What followed was a whirlwind of fundraising, donations, and families doing everything possible to get us there.
On the plane ride to Internationals, a question started forming. What happens to the teams who do not have the funding, equipment access, or support to make opportunities like this possible? After the first day of competition, that question became impossible to ignore. By night two, the three Jellyfish were in one hotel room, exhausted and excited, sketching ideas for something bigger than ourselves.
Because SeaPerch is not just about building an ROV. It is problem solving, teamwork, failure, redesign, and trying again. It is confidence. It is belonging. SeaPerch made our trio more than teammates and more than friends, it made us family. We realized we did not just want to compete. We wanted every student with that engineering spark to have the same chance to learn by doing, to be supported, and to belong.
We also realized something else. STEM should not stay inside a classroom or a competition pool. It should show up in the real world. Students can use these skills to serve others, strengthen their communities, and create positive change right where they live.
So instead of just talking about it, we decided to do something about it.
By the time we got home, we sat our parents parents down and asked them to help us start a foundation. A lot of paperwork and legwork later, SEAPERCH Foundation was born.
Today, we work to remove barriers and create opportunities by supporting SeaPerch and hands on STEM through resources, mentorship, team support, and community based programs. Through multiple student led initiatives, outreach efforts, and service projects, we help young engineers grow in confidence, develop real world skills, and make a meaningful impact in their communities. You can learn more about these programs on our Programs page.
Because at the end of the day, this is bigger than building robots. It is about building futures, strengthening communities, and creating space for the next generation of young engineers to learn, lead, and belong.
We would love to have you with us as we build the next success story.
Leadership
SEAPERCH Foundation is led by a student Junior Board and guided by an adult Board of Directors to ensure strong programs, accountability, and community impact.
Junior Board of Directors
The Junior Board brings student voice, vision, and heart to the mission, helping shape programs that inspire confidence, leadership, and hands on STEM learning.
Brooklynn K. Strickland
Outreach heart and the driving force behind Project JellyClean.
Student leader supporting outreach, team support, and community impact through Project JellyClean.
Julian M. Majthub
Student leader helping teams grow through build support, practice readiness, and positivity.
Pilot coach, confidence builder, and the teammate who lifts everyone around him.
Board of Directors
Nolan P. Comparetto
Student leader focused on mentorship, teamwork, and hands on problem solving through SeaPerch.
Belonging builder and mentor minded problem solver.
The Board of Directors provides guidance, stewardship, and long term support to help SEAPERCH Foundation grow with purpose, integrity, and lasting community impact.
Garrett Comparetto
Steady leader with technical precision and a systems mindset.
Focused on creating strong structure, maintaining consistency, and supporting the foundation’s growth through technical knowledge, real world perspective, and careful attention to detail.
President
Ariel Strickland
Organized leader with a heart for outreach and inclusion.
Focused on documentation, communication, social media, and helping SEAPERCH Foundation grow in a way that is welcoming, connected, and accessible to the communities it serves.
Secretary
Kattie A. Comparetto
Vision driven leader and growth focused advocate
Focused on building partnerships, developing fundraising opportunities, supporting new teams and programs, and ensuring financial transparency as SEAPERCH Foundation expands its reach and impact.