Brock University Student Honored with National Award for Making STEM Education More Accessible
Growing up, Alexandra Leone could often be found buried in a book or playing with tech toys that taught her about science and anatomy. By the age of eight, she had memorized every bone in the human body.
In elementary school classrooms, however, she often felt like she didn’t belong. She didn’t see a lot of representation from women and girls in science, and when she expressed her interest in studying medicine, people assumed she would pursue a career as a hygienist or nurse, not a doctor.
“I was consistently discouraged, and for a while I thought maybe I can’t do this,” says Leone, who is now in her final year at Brock University studying Biological Sciences. “As I grew up and honed my skills and started believing in myself, I thought if other people can do it, why can’t I?”
Passionate about tackling the underrepresentation of women in science, Leone continued to advocate for herself and others.
In 2022, she became involved in Brock Let’s Talk Science outreach program, which delivers a variety of meaningful science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning experiences in school and community settings at no cost.
Her contributions to making STEM education accessible to all were recognized by Let’s Talk Science national office when she received the David Colcleugh Leadership Award for Let’s Talk Science Outreach Co-ordinators at an awards banquet on June 1.
As Brock Let’s Talk Science Site Co-ordinator, Leone helped grow the University’s school-based program from a handful of workshops to more than 100. More than 5,000 local youth from Grade 1 to 12 have participated in the program since November 2022.
Leone has also developed new avenues to deliver STEM outreach, such as STEMpower Women sessions for girls in Grades 5 to 12. During these 60- to 90-minute sessions, Leone and Brock student volunteers share their personal experiences with STEM, stories of Brock women faculty members, and the history of women STEM pioneers who were not recognized for their research discoveries or technological advances.
In addition to focusing on encouraging women and girls to pursue science, Leone has developed relationships with Indigenous community groups and has worked with her team to create custom workshops for youth in a Anishinaabeg community in Kitchener that present STEM concepts while celebrating Indigenous worldviews.
“The relationship between STEM and the western model of education enables information to be centralized and regulated, which has the unintended consequence of making STEM less accessible to people who are not part of traditional education systems, or do not relate to the way it is presented,” she says. “Our approach follows Indigenous preferences, which favour self-exploration in the spirit of sharing, collaboration and connection.”
Leone says being recognized on a national level for her leadership with Brock Let’s Talk Science reinforces that her passion for equity, diversity, inclusivity and accessibility in STEM and that the programs she is delivering are making a positive and lasting impact.
“We built these programs to change the way students view STEM and, unexpectedly, it has also left an indelible mark on my life,” she says. “I’ve become a part of an incredible community, and I get to be the mentor I wish I had when I was a kid.”
Leone will be graduating this fall, and she plans to continue her work with Brock Let’s Talk Science while she awaits acceptance from a dentistry program to become an oral and maxillofacial surgeon.
“I’ve improved my life with the opportunities my STEM education has afforded me, and I want everybody to have this opportunity regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, economic status or anything else,” she says. “STEM should be for everyone.”