Nonprofit empowers girls of color in STEM through the art of dance

Thursday, April 25, 2024
STEM From Dance, a nonprofit organization, is revolutionizing the landscape of STEM education by empowering girls of color through the art of dance. This unique initiative provides a platform for girls from underrepresented groups to not only dance but also delve into the world of coding.

In its yearly summer camp, STEM From Dance brings young campers together to design choreography and create tech devices to integrate into their performances. This new approach combines technology with art, creating an innovative and inclusive environment for these aspiring young women.

A U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) report highlights the significant underrepresentation of women of color in the federal STEM workforce. With only a small percentage of Black, Asian and Latina women in the field, the need for diversity and inclusion in STEM has never been more apparent.

Yamilée Toussaint, the founder and CEO of STEM From Dance, emphasizes the critical importance of diverse representation in STEM.

"Diverse representation is critically important in STEM, because it is proven that the more diverse a team is, the more innovative it is," she said. "We have some big challenges that we face in this world, and we want to put together groups of people who can solve this. It's important that in those groups, women and women of color are represented."

STEM nonprofit leader reflects on need for diversity


Girl helped by STEM nonprofit surprises mentor with flowers