Step To It - STEM From Dance

Have you been asked, or asked yourself: “What is the future of education?” There is no one answer, but it’s happening in pockets all around us, from Kindergarten to PHD’s. As the Regional Education Leader for KI, I'm excited to launch a new education podcast, KI Furnishing Knowledge. Within each episode, we'll speak with leaders and disruptors inside of education doing just that to learn what they are building, why they are building it and who they are.

The first disruptor I had the pleasure of interviewing is Yamilée Toussaint, Founder and CEO of STEM From Dance. Yamilée and I discussed her influencers, her organization, and why she’s so dedicated to the power the arts have on young minds.

Yamilée has personally experienced the extraordinary benefits of a STEM education and dance. After studying mechanical engineering at MIT and being an avid dancer for 21 years, she switched gears to teach high school algebra in an under-served community in East New York, Brooklyn through Teach For America. As a teacher, her eyes were opened to the multitude of opportunities her students didn’t have access to; there was an abundance of potential that would never be unleashed. Therefore, she set out to provide students with something greater than what the school system could provide. She started STEM From Dance with the hope that a strong dance and STEM supplemental education would help to increase the number of under-represented minority high school girls across the nation who pursue a STEM undergraduate education.

To listen to the podcast, simply click below. It is also available on iTunes.

Be on the look out for April's podcast where we interview Dr. Ena Shelley, Dean, College of Education at Butler University.