Monique Boodram: SciComm Hobbyist and STEAM Student Portfolio
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“Science communication is my favorite way to engage in the Arts and STEM.”
Monique makes the best of her passions. She has a YouTube channel running, and even founded her own network called STEM First! Gen. She might focus on audience engagement through creativity, and connecting with fellow SciCommers, but she’s ready to expand her passions in the Arts, Sciences, and Medicine. We asked her about her journey into SciComm, and what inspired her to start STEM First! Gen.
Occasionally, I make SciComm videos for my YouTube channel, and recently I found a way to use animation as a way to engage my audience. I also love writing, and hope to use creative storytelling to communicate messages in the field of STEM. Currently, I enjoy uplifting fellow science communicators on my platform, STEM First! Gen.
I created STEM First! Gen. to connect science communicators and STEAM enthusiasts via popular social networks, such as Twitter, Medium, and LinkedIn. Associating with colleagues helped me learn a lot about science communication, and I loved hearing their experiences. STEM First! Gen’s main hub is on Medium, where we host a publication. The publication gives others the opportunity to share their endeavors: and it’s really simple! It’s a joy to add new writers on the publication as it expands the community.
It started off as a small initiative, but there’s more potential for her SciComm network. Even though this was a high school project, she still hopes to go further with STEM First! Gen. It’s a learning adventure for her, as she notes:
I’m hoping to stretch STEM First! Gen. across more social networks. I’ve experimented with creating a book-club on Goodreads for us, and it went pretty well; maybe we can have zoom book club meetings and conferences one day! College will bring more experiences (and maybe more peers), so I’ll be happy to feature the SciComm and STEAM colleagues I meet along the way.
But what about her own science communication skills? Along with connecting with others, she wants to practice SciComm more frequently. Her particular methods are through filmmaking and creative writing. Her future is bright with advocacy for STEAM, improving STEAM education, and even specializing in medical education.
I always enjoyed filmmaking and creative writing, along with feeding my curiosity in STEM. As a SciComm hobbyist, I would love to adventure into expanding my YouTube channel. This way I can combine filmmaking and STEM. I also am a huge advocate for STEAM. STEM and the Arts work hand in hand, and I wish we could use that acronym more often [even I made the mistake.. it should have been STEAM First! Gen… but it isn’t that catchy]. I would love to show the world more about my passions for this.
I think my animating and cinematography skills should improve soon, and that would be a big milestone for me. I enjoy sharing what I learn as I learn. When I start college, I hope I can continuously share what I’m learning as a pre-med. I love education, so SciComm is eventually going to become SciEd, or more specifically, MedEd!
Monique is enthusiastic about making an impact in the world of STEM and medicine. She tells us that her science communication passions stemmed from her youth, and continues to share her story.
I never hesitate to share knowledge with others. I think the first step to raising awareness about STEAM is to talk about it. Talk about what you do and fires you up inside. Being active in STEAM outside of the community actually helps me improve my SciComm skills.
Monique is keen on making an impact in education, also saying, “but I’m also ready to do something about the well-being of our first responders in health and medicine.”
When I was younger, I was worried that I couldn’t pursue both the Arts and the Sciences. Luckily, science communication brought an epiphany. Now I want to make sure students like myself aren’t limited to STEM. I’m a strong believer in being passionate about many passions, and I want to share that as an aspiring science educator. I am very eager to become a doctor and professor of medicine as well. I’m aware of the challenges that medical students, resident doctors, and actually anyone who dedicates their life to health and medicine face. Burnout and mental health in the medical field is something that I would definitely like to confront. I’m not only anticipating saving lives…
Monique continues to be passionate about many passions, as she pursues writing on her Medium blog, practicing creative writing, drawing and animating. She has another initiative at the The Baskerville Pups, a Sherlockian community dedicated to the original book canon and her favorite Sherlockian actor, Jeremy Brett. She’s also an avid fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, British sitcom, and Wes Anderson style. She says, “and when I’m doing that, you’ll find me thinking of something new to do.”
To learn more about Monique’s projects, visit her Link Tree and STEM First! Gen’s Medium publication.
