Meet the Founder of STEM First! Gen.: Monique Boodram
I’m Monique — the creator and editor of STEM First! Gen., the new Medium publication initiative made for first generation STEM lovers and science communicators.
I always wondered, “Is there a community where members have unique opinions, yet they still believe in the same concept and can understand each other with sincerity?”
This thought, I believe, stemmed from my unorthodox exploration of interests.
It took a while for me to find my passions and interests in STEM. I was curious about research, then I was going to become a doctor, next thing I was in search of the ultimate problem-solving super-hero career — yet I loved the idea of making films and telling stories. You can tell that I was not born a full time science devotee; and, that worried me, because it felt as if one must choose either STEM or other.
But every character has their time. After discovering science competitions with amazing challenges (as well as awards), I realized STEM does not function solely on STEM, but in order to stir the mind, there has to be a creative and bright attracting factor.
There has to be science communication.
My first encounter with science communication happened when I found out about the Breakthrough Junior Challenge, where young students use the art of video making to explain a science topic. This made sense since we can find lots of YouTube channels that are dedicated to science (Crash Course, Physics Girl, Kurzgesagt, etc.). This relieved my concern about liking cinematography and science. However, even during my second attempt, I had no idea that this was a form of science communication.
Then I learnt how to use art to demonstrate the beauty of STEM. It was the year of the Periodic Table when I took part in the Nobelium Contest by IUPAC. I stumbled for some time, wondering how to show my appreciation for Dimitri Mendeleev’s table of elements, but an Aha! moment happened — that was to be myself and use my unique approaches to share what I love. I explained one of my favorite concepts in chemistry, electron configuration, by making some dainty lamp models.
I’m going to cut to the chase, since we will have lots of time to talk about my adventures!
When I decided to give myself some publicity for my personal blog, I finally discovered #AcademicTwitter, where I met folks who enjoyed #scicomm and #sciart, like myself! The fun thing was, we all came from different walks of life and this distinctively shaped our methods in how we communicate STEM; it’s a beautiful aspect. Among these academics were those, like myself, who were first generation students. I connected with the first gens, because we have the determination to achieve excellent dreams all the while making our families proud.
After my passion discovery journey (which might still be continuing), I could not help but head to my blog to share what I have been learning. I knew that sharing my ideas was definitely worthwhile, except I wanted to do more than share what I knew. My proposition was that there should be a community where all first generation STEM students can share their ideas in one home of collected stories.
The best thing about Medium publications and that Twitter icon on its side is that it can serve as two great communities in one. This is the opportunity where academics can connect by telling us their narratives — however long it may be — and by also sharing their quick, short thoughts.
Concluding this introduction, I want to give a warm welcome to the future members of STEM First! Gen. I had an unforgettable experience creating this publication; and, I now hope that we can be a home to more unforgettable experiences of our first generation science communicators. I look forward to meeting you all.
