Sowing Seeds (2022)
This experience, largely referred to as the “Roadmap to STEM Showcase” was a collaboration with professors across the university that were notable for being women in high positions in the four departments of STEM. The advisor spearheading this project was Dr. Whitney Gaskins, who is a Dean in the College of Engineering. The general basis for this project would be that a videographer would interview four women who are leaders in STEM here at the university to eventually create a documentary.
I thought about what the phrase “Roadmap to STEM" meant to me, and began to reflect upon my own roadmap to a medical sciences degree and how I came to pursuing medicine. I remember wanting to be a doctor since I was in elementary school, and my general interest in healthcare took various winding turns before leading me here. In this vein, I wanted to capture how other young girls interesting in STEM felt at this point in their lives. I wanted to juxtapose the answers of seasoned adults in their industry and imaginative, fresh perspectives of young kids who still had a pure and uncomplicated view of what being a working adult entailed. The students I would interview came to me immediately: my younger sister's fourth grade Girl Scout troop. I had the pleasure of working with them in the past as a lecturer for their Diversity and Inclusion series, and was blown away by the thoughtful and provocative insight they already had of the world. I accompanied my mother and little sister to her Girl Scouts troop meeting with the intent of interviewing the girls in the troop a list of questions derivative of what we asked the professors.
My video was showcased at the Cincinnati Museum Center on April 28th. It was shown as a preview before the full documentary created by Dr. Gaskins. Prior to this, there were workshops where children and adults alike could participate in hands-on STEM related activities, such as building paper rockets and plastic straw helicopters. From there, I gave a speech explaining what this project meant to me and an auditorium of people saw a film that I had created for the first time in my life.
I have always had a burgeoning interest in film directing and editing. I was exclusively in lead technical positions in high school theater and had a casual love for the craft. I also knew it was something I had no interest in pursuing professionally, but rather as a hobby I can share with friends and family. As a college student, it is difficult to find time for such labor-intensive hobbies when they have no contribution to your academic and professional career. Participating in this experience felt like a gift- I suddenly had the opportunity and means to create a short film that was personally meaningful to me. In the process, I was able to work with a group of young students that I truly enjoy spending time with. I feel more confident in my abilities as an amateur filmmaker and ability to adapt in the face of financial and logistical barriers. I was able to fulfill a vision that I had many years ago as a high schooler, now with greater insight into what it means to be working and learning as a woman in STEM.
I thought about what the phrase “Roadmap to STEM" meant to me, and began to reflect upon my own roadmap to a medical sciences degree and how I came to pursuing medicine. I remember wanting to be a doctor since I was in elementary school, and my general interest in healthcare took various winding turns before leading me here. In this vein, I wanted to capture how other young girls interesting in STEM felt at this point in their lives. I wanted to juxtapose the answers of seasoned adults in their industry and imaginative, fresh perspectives of young kids who still had a pure and uncomplicated view of what being a working adult entailed. The students I would interview came to me immediately: my younger sister's fourth grade Girl Scout troop. I had the pleasure of working with them in the past as a lecturer for their Diversity and Inclusion series, and was blown away by the thoughtful and provocative insight they already had of the world. I accompanied my mother and little sister to her Girl Scouts troop meeting with the intent of interviewing the girls in the troop a list of questions derivative of what we asked the professors.
My video was showcased at the Cincinnati Museum Center on April 28th. It was shown as a preview before the full documentary created by Dr. Gaskins. Prior to this, there were workshops where children and adults alike could participate in hands-on STEM related activities, such as building paper rockets and plastic straw helicopters. From there, I gave a speech explaining what this project meant to me and an auditorium of people saw a film that I had created for the first time in my life.
I have always had a burgeoning interest in film directing and editing. I was exclusively in lead technical positions in high school theater and had a casual love for the craft. I also knew it was something I had no interest in pursuing professionally, but rather as a hobby I can share with friends and family. As a college student, it is difficult to find time for such labor-intensive hobbies when they have no contribution to your academic and professional career. Participating in this experience felt like a gift- I suddenly had the opportunity and means to create a short film that was personally meaningful to me. In the process, I was able to work with a group of young students that I truly enjoy spending time with. I feel more confident in my abilities as an amateur filmmaker and ability to adapt in the face of financial and logistical barriers. I was able to fulfill a vision that I had many years ago as a high schooler, now with greater insight into what it means to be working and learning as a woman in STEM.