A Personal Note from Victor Ciccarelli

My name is Victor Ciccarelli, and I want to share why AV STEAM League is more than just another program—it’s the result of a lifetime of learning differently and helping others do the same.

I am dyslexic. I struggled in school and often felt out of place. But that struggle made me an autodidact. I taught myself in ways that worked for me, and what was once a hindrance became my superpower. I learned to create spaces where kids like me—kids who didn’t fit the traditional mold—could thrive.

In 2011, I founded STEAM Maker Workshop. Over nine years, we brought hands-on, creative education to tens of thousands of students in over 200 schools.

We grew to reach as many as 25,000 attendees per event. When the pandemic hit, it forced us to close, but the impact remained.

I’ve built “Seven Minutes of San Diego,” a virtual reality project featured at the San Diego County Fair and had a custom instalation in Balboa Park. I built the cameras, the presentations, and the displays combining art and tech to show people the world in a new way.

After that, I created the PhyzAI a story-driven AI STEM program in San Diego County that made robotics fun through AI-driven storytelling. Kids loved it. They gravitated to the interactive conversations and found joy in learning.

And now there’s Mythos Anthology my living mythology podcast with 20 episodes and counting, available on all podcast services and featured at conventions like LA Comic Con and LA HorrorCon. I bring mytholological characters to life. We are now turning it from audio to a live video and looking for distirbution on a major network.

All of these projects share the same heart: blending creativity with technology and making learning accessible.

So, why am I doing this? Because I believe a society only grows great when we plant trees whose shade we may never sit under. I want these kids to know that their creativity and technology will shape the future. I’ve lived it, I’ve seen it, and I’m here to make it happen again.

So when you ask why AV STEAM League will work, the answer is because I’ve walked this path. This isn’t just a program. It’s a promise—from someone who knows that learning differently can be the greatest gift of all.

Victor Ciccarelli
Victor@ciccarellis.com / 619.321.7029