Yamilée Toussaint: Using Dance to Introduce STEM to Young Girls
Yamilée Toussaint, a Black MIT graduate, is using her passion for dance to make STEM education more accessible and exciting for diverse students, particularly young Black girls. She founded STEM From Dance, a nonprofit program that combines STEM education with the performing arts.
Growing up on Long Island, New York, Toussaint developed a love for both mathematics and dance. Her parents, a mechanical engineer and a nurse, encouraged her diverse interests. At MIT, she was one of only two Black women in her mechanical engineering major, an experience that highlighted the need for greater diversity in STEM fields.
Toussaint’s program, STEM From Dance, hosts school and summer programs across nine cities in the U.S. The program uses dance to introduce STEM concepts in a fun and engaging way. Participants learn how to create code for LED strips lighting up the dance floor, demonstrating how science can enhance their performance.
Toussaint emphasizes that the mission goes beyond filling representation gaps in STEM. The program aims to remind young girls that they can accomplish things that intimidate them. “Through dance, we’re able to create this atmosphere that feels comfortable,” Toussaint said. “And with that space, we’re able to introduce something that feels kind of intimidating… So, when they face that hard math problem, they’re reminded, ‘I can do hard things’”.
