By: Siri Doddapaneni
Thank you to Francesca Vidal, the 2023-24 President of JuSTEMagine for al her amazing work! We wish her luck as she attends Stanford University in the fall!
How did you initially get involved with JuSTEMagine?
I joined JuSTEMagine my freshman year of high school. We got the opportunity to sign up for clubs we were interested in and I saw that JuSTEMagine was one of the clubs offered. I did not know what JuSTEMagine was when I signed up but I knew that it was related to STEM. I had been very interested in STEM as I love math and science, and I was excited to have the opportunity to be able to express my passion by helping others.
You were part of a lot of JuSTEMagine's initial SEL outreach. Why is Social Emotional Learning important to you?
There has been a great increase, especially after the pandemic, in the number of teens who struggle with mental health in the past couple of years. In relation to STEM, I believe that having good mental health is important because of the tremendous amount of stress and anxiety students will face on their journey to graduating with a STEM degree. A lot of students back away from STEM degrees because they are afraid they do not have the skills to do well in college. SEL, especially when taught at an early age, has been proven to help increase confidence, build healthy relationships, and promote positive mindsets. SEL is important because it has the power to help inspire more kids to pursue and succeed in STEM careers.
What work are you most proud of during your time working with JuSTEMagine?
I am most proud of JuSTEMagine’s first Legislative Advocacy Conference in 2022. It was the first time that we had ever advocated to state senators. We decided to advocate for bill LB1112. LB1112 requires high school students in Nebraska to take at least 1 semester of a computer or technology class. A big reason why students do not pursue STEM careers is because they are not given opportunities to expose themselves to STEM. Shortly after our conference, LB1112 was passed; all the state senators we advocated voted to implement the bill. We are very hopeful that in Nebraska there will be an increase in the number of students who decide to major in STEM.
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