Dancing Through Barriers: Yamilée Toussaint's STEM Revolution
🤖 AI Summary
In this podcast episode, Yamilée Toussaint, founder of STEM From Dance and a 2024 CNN Hero, discusses her innovative approach to engaging young girls, particularly girls of color, in STEM education through dance. She highlights the pervasive societal messages that discourage girls from pursuing math and science, particularly by the age of eight, and emphasizes the importance of creating a supportive and creative environment where they can thrive. By integrating dance with STEM activities, her organization aims to rebrand STEM as a fun and accessible field, helping girls build confidence and resilience. Yamilée shares her personal journey from being one of the few women in her mechanical engineering program at MIT to becoming a teacher and ultimately founding her organization, which has already impacted over 4,000 girls. She advocates for the necessity of diverse perspectives in STEM and the critical role of teachers in shaping students' identities and aspirations.
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📋 Episode Description
Can dance transform how girls engage with STEM? Yamilée Toussaint, founder of STEM From Dance and 2024 CNN Hero, is breaking barriers by fusing creative movement with technical learning to empower young girls of color. Her innovative approach has reached over 4,000 girls nationwide, helping them build confidence in math and science through dance. In this inspiring conversation, Yamilée shares her journey from teaching high school algebra to creating a national organization that's changing the face of STEM education. Learn how dance builds the resilience and confidence girls need to succeed in technical fields and why diverse perspectives are cr...