News release  Brandon Chang, a 17-year-old resident of Stevenson Ranch and junior at West Ranch High School, was recognized recently at the Dragon Challenge, hosted by the Dragon Kim Foundation, where he secured additional funding to continue his mission of bringing hands-on space exploration to underserved communities across California.  The Dragon Challenge is an annual event where participants present their social service projects developed over summer under the funding and mentorship of the Dragon Kim Foundation to a panel of judges. Chang’s GalaxSea Explorers stood out among 60 projects selected from over 519 applicants, demonstrating the impact and innovation of his approach to space education, according to a news release from the foundation.  “I am incredibly grateful to both the Dragon Kim Foundation and all of the generous individuals who offered to fund us,” Chang said in the release. “Funding allows us to expand our programs and reach even more students who lack access to quality space and STEM education. I’m really excited to see how we can grow.”  GalaxSea Explorers provides free weeklong camps focused on space and astronomy, engaging students in hands-on experiments like bottle rockets, egg drops and solar system models. The program also emphasizes skills such as communication, scientific writing, and teamwork, aiming to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.  This past summer, Chang organized camps at several venues, reaching hundreds of students aged 6-18 and helping them explore concepts in space science. Under the mentorship of aerospace engineer Bryan Le, intern Avery Yew, and guidance from the Dragon Kim Foundation, Chang developed a comprehensive curriculum that addresses the lack of space education in the standard school system, the release said.  With funding from the Dragon Challenge, Chang plans to distribute 5,000 educational space kits by December 2025 and publish two more workbooks for educators to implement space-themed activities in their classrooms in his Space Ranger’s Guide Series. The initiative will also expand its outreach by providing free resources to teachers and parents.  “Regardless of socioeconomic status, space education should be accessible to all students,” Chang said in the release. “I want to inspire young learners to pursue careers in STEM and show them that they have a place in space exploration.”   For more information about GalaxSea Explorers and to support the initiative, visit galaxseaexplorers.org.  The post Local student honored for space education program  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.