Editor’s Note: To help raise awareness of the SFLRP program’s annual Youth STEAM Summit – set this year for July 16th at the Rocky Mount Event Center – we asked two of the program’s Youth Ambassadors about their experiences with the Summit and the Youth Program. Their responses are published below. If you know of a student or family who may benefit from their stories and insights, please share this blog post with them.
Please share your name and the town or county where you grew up.
Good day. My name is London Raenicole Barber, and I grew up in the big city of Gates located in Gates County, N.C.
J’Yanah Powell. I grew up in Gates County.
What led you to become a Youth Ambassador, and how long were you one?
LB: Mrs. Reba Green-Holley and Roanoke Cooperative led me to becoming a Youth STEAM Ambassador at the age of 14. Mrs. Reba saw that I possessed the qualities of leadership and felt this was a way to cultivate it. I have been a Youth STEAM Ambassador for four years.
JP: I was a Youth Ambassador for three years. What led me to become one was that I wanted other teens and kids to know the different career paths they can take in STEAM.
What was the experience like? What stands out in your mind in terms of the activities and your interactions with others?
LB: The experience is one of a kind! Growing up I was never enamored by agriculture, but once I became a Youth STEAM Ambassador, I soon grew to understand and take more of an interest in agriculture. What stands out to me the most is how important agriculture is to individuals, and how they stressed including it into STEM focus. You see, originally (my first year) it was STEM, but by my second year agriculture was added to now have a STEAM focus. The interactions with others have been genuinely fascinating, and I have gained friendships and connections that enhanced my life and growth moving forward.
JP: It was a one-of-a-kind experience that opened my eyes to how large STEAM actually is. What stands out in my mind with everything that we’ve done is the people I have met during this experience.
How did the experience help you in relation to the things you’re doing now? Please share some details about your current stage in life.
LB: The experience has helped me improve my social skills. I am communicating with people considered strangers, and I have used those skills to advocate for scholarships, meet basketball coaches at various universities, and engage in meaningful conversation with people about the status of females in science and math. Also, being an ambassador expanded my understanding of lives here in Gates County and their dependence on the agricultural world. I was recently accepted into Chowan University, and I will major in Biology Pre-Medicine while being a student athlete on the basketball team.
JP: It helped me decide that I wanted to pursue a career in the more scientific field of STEAM. I knew I would work in STEAM. I just wasn’t sure which part I wanted to pursue.
What is your personal and/or career aspiration at the present time?
LB: My personal goal is to earn a bachelor’s degree in Biology Pre-Medicine, MS Forensic Science, and obtain either my MD (Doctor of Medicine) or DO (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine) with a focus on Forensic Science degree. My ultimate career goal is to become a Chief Medical Examiner with my own office stationed in Louisiana or New York.
JP: To go to Norfolk State University and major in Exercise Science/Kinesiology and to later open up my own practice.
How, if at all, did your experience as a Youth Ambassador influence your choice?
LB: I feel that, while being a Youth Ambassador did not influence my choice of career or college major because I have known for some time what I wanted to do, but as an ambassador my eyes were opened to multiple career opportunities that I never knew existed and how women are in even more demand in STEAM areas.
What would you like other young people to know about the Sustainable Forestry program’s youth activities and the ambassador opportunities?
LB: I would like other young people to know that these opportunities are worth it. Whether you’re interested or not, take the opportunity and learn more about the world we live in, different careers, and how females have worth in STEAM areas.
JP: It’s a very helpful experience that can possibly open your eyes to new careers that may possibly be your future career.
What else would you like to share about specific events or the broader experience that we haven’t asked about?
LB: The Youth STEAM Summit is the place to go. Look past waking up early, look past the long hours, and look past it not being part of your everyday activities. Being a Youth STEAM Summit Ambassador helped me just as much as I assisted with bringing others to it. This experience has been awesome for me, and I will forever assist how I can.
JP: To try new things, even if you think you may not like it or enjoy it.