Dear Friends and Supporters,
Today, I’m writing to reflect on what is happening in our city, country, and world. I founded talkSTEM five years ago to address inequity in education and to support all educators and students. talkSTEM mourns George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless other victims of racism and violence. We have a platform and therefore we have a duty to speak up and advocate for justice.
To me, education and social justice are tightly connected. talkSTEM works hard to decolonize science so that all children, regardless of gender, class, or race, can participate in STEM activities and identify as STEM people.
We cannot ignore social unrest that impacts all of our children, that impacts their understandings of who they are, and that provides the backdrop against which they learn and engage with each other.
It is critical that we work even harder to address systemic racism in education. We must fight to find contemporary STEM role models that all children can relate to. We must commit to addressing inequity in school systems by providing free learning experiences that allow underrepresented groups to engage with STEM in their real worlds. There is still work to be done. By ensuring that all children and teachers have unfettered access to rich and meaningful learning experiences, we can work to close the opportunity gaps that have plagued our society for so long.
Koshi Dhingra, Ed.D
Founder and Director
talkSTEM
Dr. Koshi Dhingra has dedicated her career to STEM education and is passionate about having every child live up to their potential. Seeing a lack of girls and other underrepresented youth in STEM programs, she founded talkSTEM in 2015 to address the imbalance. She has a doctorate in science education from Teachers College, Columbia University, has years of experience teaching in graduate and undergraduate programs, and has held leadership roles in universities. She advises and collaborates with a broad range of educational institutions globally. Dr. Dhingra began her career teaching science in middle and high school in New York. She lives in Dallas, Texas with her husband, three children, and two dogs.
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