Children’s book series promotes diversity in STEAM careers

USC authors presented their STEAM Oncology book at the first book assembly at the 32nd Street school. The book captured diverse voices in STEAM, while serving as an educational and career resource for students. (Photo courtesy of Joint Educational Project)

Maria Madrigal, an education program specialist with USC Sea Grant, never considered herself a creative writer. She majored in studio arts and ecological teaching and learning in college.

“I can write for work and things like that, but I’m not a creative writer, I guess I should say,” Madrigal said. “I never envisioned [writing] a children’s book.”

Madrigal wrote a book about marine biology for Room to Read’s STEAM-Powered Careers collection. The collection features 10 children’s books about various professions — including oncology, data science and nanotechnology — written by professionals in the field with the goal of increasing resources for kids to learn about careers in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.

Dieuwertje Kast pitched the collection to Room to Read, a nonprofit organization looking to address illiteracy and gender inequality, in 2020. Kast is the director of STEM education programs for the Joint Educational Project, an organization under the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences that provides the University with service-learning opportunities within the community.

“We wanted to have a wide variety of different STEM careers, especially some that students may not have ever heard of before,” Kast said about the books in the project.

After pitching the idea to Room to Read, Kast incorporated people from the University into the STEAM-Powered Careers collection. University staff and alumni authored eight of the 10 books, which featured seven additional University scientists. Kast wrote the book about oncology and shared her experiences in the North Pole and South Pole in the book about polar science.

The Rooms to Read team funded the STEAM-Powered Careers collection and provided 90,000 books to schools across Los Angeles. They distribute books in both English and Spanish. (Photo courtesy of Joint Educational Project)

She was inspired to pitch the idea to Room to Read after noticing a lack of STEM children’s books with diverse characters. A 2018 study by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center at the University of Madison—Wisconsin School of Education revealed only 23% of characters in children’s books are people of color.

The collection stars three characters — Cora, Mia and Jae — who learn about each career featured in the collection. The characters are Black, Latina and Asian, respectively.

“[Kast’s] ability to elevate voices of people of color within the sciences is just really appreciated,” Madrigal said, referring to Kast’s efforts to share the STEAM-Powered Careers collection with the community.

Jasmin Sanchez, a USC alumna who majored in health and human sciences, wrote the occupational therapy book in the collection. She said the collection empowers students to pursue their dream careers. The characters listen to advice, try new things and learn from wrongdoings to overcome challenges. Sanchez said she hopes to pursue a career in occupational therapy and participated in occupational therapy research at SoLa Peace Camp when she was a student.

“I think it’s very important to bring awareness to [occupational therapy] not only for students who may want to pursue it as they get older, but also if they need the services that occupational therapy can provide,” Sanchez said.

The STEAM-Powered Careers collection features digital and print copies of the books in both English and Spanish. The digital version of the collection is available to read for free on the Room to Read website. The website also includes hands-on lesson plans and educational videos for each book.

“You can definitely see a child light up when you talk bilingually or [when] you explain something to them in Spanish that they’re having difficulty understanding in English,” Sanchez said.

Room to Read funded the STEAM-Powered Careers collection and provided 90,000 books to schools and education programs in the community.

Kast also organizes book assemblies at elementary schools to share the stories with students, which authors from the collection attend to read to the community. After the book assemblies, students are able to bring an English or Spanish copy of the book home.

“It’s been really great to see [the books] in the hands of kids, because they get excited,” Madrigal said.

Madrigal said her favorite parts of working with the STEAM-Powered Careers collection were creating the storyline and visuals for the book and meeting some of the scientists and authors involved in the project.

Sanchez said she hopes the collection makes children feel confident in pursuing the career of their choice.

“I want [students] to know that they can do whatever they want to do with their lives,” Sanchez said. “They can pursue any career, any pathway, and they’re going to be amazing and they’re going to do great.”