Why This College Student Created a Coloring Book to Celebrate Black Women in STEM

Nia Asemota: I’ve at all times been drawing ever since I might maintain a crayon.

Then in March 2020, the pandemic hit. We’re all kicked out of college, kicked out of the dorm, and actually, it was so chaotic, and I’m simply at dwelling, like, “What do I do to not lose my mind?”

I’ve at all times had a ardour for drawing, in order that turned a enormous stress reliever for me.

And I used to be simply reflecting again on once I was youthful, and what I’d colour in my coloring books. I’d make them brown to appear like me. Growing up, you understand that they are not meant to appear like you. You know what I imply? I by no means had one with curly hair, simply Afrocentric options.

I used to be additionally educating at Black Girls Code and [thought], “How do I put these two together?” That’s kind of the place I landed with the coloring e book, and I needed to take it a step additional.

In the e book, clearly there’s photographs of women coding collectively, constructing robots collectively, simply exhibiting what they’ll do, however then there’s the educating facet of it.

One of the issues that I really feel like is a barrier to tech is language. In my experiences in my CS courses in school, it appeared like a lot of the phrases are like large phrases that I did not know the that means of. So let me simply embrace that in the e book, simply to introduce and construct that language in order that, perhaps once they get to highschool, they’ll take part on the desk.

And then additionally desirous about position fashions and the way a lot of those superb ladies are written out of the textbooks, and we do not hear about them. I need it to embrace these ladies that [Black girls] can see themselves in.

Well-known folks like Mae Jemison and Katherine Johnson [of NASA]. I need to embrace their tales and quotes that the women can colour and study and be impressed by.

Some of them, I’ve by no means heard about, and that is extra purpose to embrace them. Like [Gladys West], the lady who made main marks on creating the GPS as we all know it at this time, was Black. Ayanna Howard, who used AI to assist ship the Mars Rover into house, is Black.

You do not hear about them. I used to be like, “Let’s change that.”

You come from a Puerto Rican and Nigerian family. Did these cultures affect your plans to your schooling? Were your mother and father tech professionals?

Culturally talking on either side, it is like, “[Become a] doctor, lawyer, engineer,” however very closely on physician. I keep in mind rising up, my mother would do my hair, and we’d watch “Grey’s Anatomy” collectively, and Cristina Yang was a enormous affect for me. I needed to do cardiothoracic surgical procedure identical to her as a result of I assumed it was so cool.

And then in highschool, the identical factor: becoming a member of the medical golf equipment, taking all of the programs that might align me [with medicine], volunteering at hospitals, then going to medical faculty. That’s kind of how I had it mapped out.

How did you get entangled with pc science and coding?

It was in highschool freshman yr. My mother inspired me to be part of the robotics staff, and there was a lot of pushback from me as a result of I used to be like, “Why would I do that? I already have my whole life set out for medical school. Robotics is not in the picture. This, that, and the third.”

I used to be the fifth woman on the staff. Mind you, I did not know the way to code, did not know the way to use any of the heavy instruments that they use, did not know the behind-the-scenes electrical processes. So I very a lot caught out like a sore thumb. But on the finish of the day, I actually cherished the challenge that we have been doing.

You ended up going to a global robotics competitors, and that’s the place you met an all-girls staff.

That was a breakthrough for me as a result of I used to be like, “How do I become more hands on and vocal during these team meetings?” Because earlier to that, the women [on my team] would manage the toolbox and simply do all these miscellaneous duties. We weren’t arms on.

So that is once I went to Youtube [to learn], “I want to make the robots’ wheels turn, how do I code that? How do I wire the motors?” That was a enormous studying expertise for me, and I used to be ready to deliver these abilities to the staff. Long story brief, proper earlier than graduating, I wound up main the programming and electrical departments of the staff.

And then going into school, I nonetheless knew in the again of my head that medical faculty was a path for me, however I gained this newfound love with engineering and inventive problem-solving. I used to be like, “OK, how do I combine that?” And for me, the answer was biomedical engineering.

Did your mother ever clarify why she was pushing you so exhausting to be part of this robotics staff?

It’s so cute as a result of she reads her little articles on a regular basis, and [one article was about] how robotics is tremendous rising, and there are intersections of robotics and every thing. So she was considering that it’s one thing gratifying and could be one thing that can stand out to schools — she was considering bigger image than I used to be.

It looks as if it made you rethink your complete script for a way you thought your teachers would go.

When you are in these full circle moments, it is so unusual as a result of — like I mentioned — I used to be doing bio and CS in school. In normal, NYU was very strict on the courses that you would be able to take. But with the pandemic, issues turned extra versatile, and I took a few AI courses as a result of it actually piqued my curiosity.

That [class] was about robotic-assisted surgical procedures, and I used to be like, “Oh, wow! I was a robotics student in high school, and this is medically aligned.” And now you are placing AI on prime of it, and that is so cool to me. Through that course of, I fell in love with pc science.

You’re a pc science pupil, you’ve interned at NASA, and now you’re an affiliate product supervisor at Spotify. What have your experiences with illustration in STEM been like?

Some of the biology courses are smaller — like 20 folks — so if I used to be the one [person of color], or if I used to be one in all two, it was kind of anticipated. But for CS, it was a 150-person class, and I used to be the one individual of colour. Not solely lady — individual. Do you recognize what I imply?

Looking round, you are feeling it. I felt like I had a enormous chip on my shoulder as a result of I used to be new to this subject, and by this level everybody in the category was coding because the womb and works at Google and Meta for 2 years already.

And then additionally, none of my lecturers seemed like me, might relate to me, and there is these microaggressions, or feedback that they might say.

Can you give an instance of a remark or microaggression?

Oh, my God, let me inform you! I keep in mind my advisers questioned my selections to research [computer science] so many instances. I acquired instructed, “You’re not going to graduate. You should switch. You’re not smart enough for this. Look, you should consider different career paths.”

Did these experiences lead you to search out a corporation like Black Girls Code?

Around the time I used to be making use of to completely different colleges, I truly discovered about them by means of NYU, which was so unusual. I discovered Black Girls Code on the backside of some [NYU] web page and signed up, in all probability my junior yr of highschool.

We went to the Google workplace in Chelsea, and we coded our personal Pac-Man recreation. That was actually enjoyable, after which I did some applications with them right here and there.

That was like a enormous stepping stone for me as a result of the neighborhood was so supportive. In school I used to be like, “I’m doing CS now. How do I give back to my community?”

That was one thing that additionally helped me with imposter syndrome and getting by means of the troublesome days in school and simply being the one individual [of color] in class. Because it gave me a purpose to go ahead. The group of women that I taught was 7 to 13, and it is like, “I need to get stronger in my coding skills to be able to teach them and let me be the example that they’re lacking.”

That’s a nice motivator to get higher at something — if you need to train it to someone else. Did it assist push again towards a few of these messages you have been receiving, that perhaps pc science isn’t for you?

It helped me construct a neighborhood with the women that have been my age. And with a number of the instructors that have been already in their careers but in addition volunteering at Black Girls Code — who’re software program engineers at Adobe or Pinterest or no matter, proper? I used to be ready to hear their tales, what acquired them in CS or about what assets will help me.

What would additionally occur is that say, for instance, the workshop was on a Saturday. About two weeks in advance, you’ll begin to prep. We would get the curriculum, and I’d have the opportunity to have a preview forward of time and be very arms on with the programming language at hand — to perceive it sufficient that I can break it down for a 7-year-old. So even that helps me develop my abilities alongside the best way.

It looks as if a lot of time once we discuss range and illustration in STEM, we’re ranging from this establishment that it is largely white males in the trade. But taking a look at your coloring e book — there’s so many ladies who’ve contributed — it is clearly not the case, proper?

It’s so fascinating you say that. I simply began a TikTok web page and, in one in all [my videos], I used to be coloring in Mae Jemison.

And there was this woman, I consider she was like in center faculty, and he or she feedback underneath my video, “Oh, my God! She’s such a huge inspiration for me. We’re learning about her in school,” and he or she’s like, “I didn’t think that girls can go into space until reading about her.”

This is why I do it.

And additionally, I’m Puerto Rican and Nigerian, and I’m launching a new [coloring book] for Latinas in tech, and there is so many Latinas that I did not find out about earlier than doing superb feats, too.

I really feel like that is my calling. Through a inventive lens, how do I be certain folks [like me] are seen, heard, represented, but in addition achieve publicity to new position fashions which can be sadly written out of our historical past books?

What are some issues that individuals, whether or not they have been lecturers or mentors or simply associates, mentioned to you that have been useful and inspiring as you pursued your STEM pursuits?

“Be the change that you want to see.” That was a heavy one for me, particularly once I was going by means of my courses and struggling. I keep in mind having conversations with family and friends and simply solidifying, “What is my ‘why?’” Because as soon as you recognize your “why,” you are set.

They actually emphasised the notion of paying it ahead. If I dropped out, or if I wasn’t in that CS classroom, I would not have the opportunity to inform my story and simply give recommendation and cross it down to youthful generations.

“What do you wish that you had when you were younger?” Take that into educating the women — what’s one thing that you simply want you knew? Just being a presence, particularly for youthful college students, and making that my motive.