(Black PR Wire)\u00a0NEW YORK, NY \u2013 Yamilee Toussaint, the founder of STEM From Dance and MIT engineer, is selected as a CNN Hero. Her groundbreaking national nonprofit is transforming the STEM field by empowering girls of color with the know-how, experience, and confidence to dream big in STEM \u2014 all through the power of dance.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an honor to be selected as a CNN Hero,\u201d Toussaint said. \u201cI\u2019m so proud of the work we do to help bridge the gap between girls of color and STEM careers \u2013 in a joyful and impactful way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since 2012, thousands of young girls have entered STEM From Dance. Through the rich programming and dedicated community, many participants have been inspired to pursue careers in STEM. Young girls of color create dance routines involving technology, such as lighting up sneakers to the beat of the music or designing projections through computer programming.<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw at the time that girls just tend to not feel like math is a place they belong in,\u201d Toussaint explained. \u201cThat’s really why we exist and what we are working to change. Because our method attracts girls who otherwise wouldn\u2019t raise their hand to code or build a robot, we know we can impact the field. A big part of getting there will be releasing our curriculum and training so that teachers across the country and the world can adopt our approach and implement it locally.\u201d<\/p>\n
CNN has teamed up with GoFundMe to encourage donations. You can donate\u00a0here.<\/a><\/p>\n Click here<\/a>\u00a0to view the feature story about STEM From Dance on CNN.<\/p>\n Learn more about STEM From Dance\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0and follow Toussaint\u2019s journey on\u00a0LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n Source: STEM From Dance<\/p>\n