Articles
Alfredo Corchado pushes for collaboration in journalism
By Victoria Baeza Garcia
February 7, 2025
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Journalist Alfredo Corchado spoke at SMU about the importance of collaboration between Mexican and American reporters to fight misinformation and support press freedom. He shared experiences from his career covering immigration and border violence. (Click on image for full article)
From corporate tech to classroom code: How Venus Bhasin is reshaping early education
By Victoria Baeza Garcia
April 18, 2025
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Venus Bhasin founded Wize Computing Academy in 2015 to teach young children coding, robotics, and STEAM skills, inspired by her daughter's curiosity. The program, now with 38 franchises, prepares kids for the digital future, emphasizing leadership and teamwork. Bhasin’s entrepreneurial journey followed her career in tech and has earned praise from parents for its impact on education. (Click on image for full article)
A democratic Ukraine poses a threat to Putin’s rule says Marina Henke
By Victoria Baeza Garcia
March 15, 2025
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At SMU, Professor Marina Henke discussed how a successful democratic Ukraine threatens Putin's rule, as it challenges his narrative that democracy leads to instability. She emphasized Europe’s early unpreparedness and the crucial role of U.S. support in the conflict’s resolution. (Click on image for full article)
$1.7 million construction plan approved by CFBISD board
By Victoria Baeza Garcia
April 5, 2025
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The CFBISD board approved $1.7 million for engineering upgrades at Ranchview High and other campus renovations. New book vending machines, summer camps and student support initiatives were also announced. (Click on image for full article)
$1.7 million construction plan approved by CFBISD board
By Victoria Baeza Garcia
April 5, 2025
The Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District Board of Trustees meets during its regular meeting in Carrollton on April 3, 2025. (Photo by Victoria Baeza Garcia)
Engineering students at Ranchview High School will benefit from $1.7 million in upgrades after the Carrollton-Farmers Branch school board approved the funding Thursday.
During its regular meeting, the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District Board of Trustees (CFBISD) unanimously approved all items in Section 6—Items for Discussion and Action—on its agenda, authorizing major renovations at Rosemeade Elementary, Blalack Middle School and Turner and Ranchview High Schools. The district’s upgrades will not interfere with student schedules.
The school board also approved a $1.7 million construction effort for Ranchview High School’s engineering program to enhance equipment, machinery and infrastructure for student projects.
To further promote literacy and education, Donna Wald, executive director of the CFBISD Educational Foundation, announced an initiative to bring book vending machines to campuses.
“Beginning next week, campuses can apply for a book vending machine grant from the [Educational] Foundation,” Wald said. “The selected recipients will be notified before the end of… the school year, and machines will be on campuses by fall.”
Continuing its support for students, faculty and staff, CFBISD chief communications officer Caren Rodriguez announced the April CFB Champion Award, presented to Daniel Harper, a security specialist at Polk Middle School, for saving a coach struck by a prematurely thrown shot put.
“From the stands, Daniel saw that [the coach] fell instantly and was seriously injured, bleeding from a head wound,” Rodriguez said. “He immediately jumped into action, applied direct pressure and contacted 911.”
The coach is now recovering, thanks to Harper's quick response.
With summer break around the corner, Kim Holcomb, CFBISD’s assistant superintendent of leadership and learning, shared updates on the district's Future Ready summer programs, including the free Math Entrepreneur summer camp.
Holcomb said the Math Entrepreneur summer camp will resemble the TV show Shark Tank, with students pitching ideas and designing business projects.
CFBISD will publish summer camp updates on its website. Sign up before April 30.
From corporate tech to classroom code: How Venus Bhasin is reshaping early education
By Victoria Baeza Garcia
April 18, 2025
Venus Bhasin and her Wize Eagles students compete in a robotics event in February 2025. (Photo by Victoria Baeza Garcia)
It started with a moment at home, when Venus Bhasin and her husband, Vishal, both working in software development, noticed their oldest daughter curiously watching them, eager to understand what they were doing. Before long, she began pressing keys on the keyboard, trying to mimic their actions. That small gesture sparked a realization they had never considered.
“There was no program that was catering to young kids, you know, at the age of kindergarten, because coding was never related,” Bhasin said. “You never relate coding to young kids, because there's concepts that are, I want to say, complex.”
Inspired by her daughter’s curiosity, Bhasin took a leap of faith, trading a corporate software career for a mission grounded in education, innovation and creativity.
Bhasin’s last corporate job was with Bank of America, where she worked on business-to-business implementation.
With more than 18 years of experience in the information technology industry, Bhasin recognized a growing need for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) programs that not only help young children apply what they learn in school but also prepare them to face the challenges of a rapidly evolving digital age.
Bhasin transitioned from corporate work to entrepreneurship in 2015 when she and Vishal founded Wize Computing Academy. The program, now with 38 franchises across the United States and Canada, was created to fill a gap in early education by offering an up-to-date curriculum that integrates robotics, coding, design, artificial intelligence and engineering.
Entrepreneurship came with its share of challenges. After completing her master’s degree at the University of Texas at Dallas, Bhasin balanced the demands of being pregnant with her third child, while managing the overlapping responsibilities of both her growing business and family life.
“The biggest challenge is, when a company is founder-led, it is hard to replace yourself,” Bhasin said.
Sustaining a franchise business model also came with obstacles, but Bhasin said leveraging technology to expand while maintaining quality standards and relying on “like-minded” franchise owners has helped ensure a family-like business with a shared mission.
Bhasin’s hard work is paying off, with students and their parents already seeing the positive results.
Diana Garcia, whose son has been a Wize Computing Academy student for three years, said Bhasin’s program integrates robotics and other skills that enhance his education.
“She encourages a lot the leadership, teamwork—some other skills, or, you know, some other things that we wanted to develop in our son,” Garcia said.
What began at home has grown into a national network of young minds learning to solve problems and imagine what’s possible in a rapidly evolving technological world, from artificial intelligence and robotics to technologies yet to be imagined.