By Angel Bhandari
Each month, the Imagining team interviews one of JuSTEMagine’s board members. For the month of December, the spotlight is on Aubrey Nguyen, JuSTEMagine’s Director of Art & Technology. Aubrey, a junior at Duchesne Academy in Omaha, Nebraska, came on this year to fill a new & returning board position.
What is your role as Director of Art and Technology?
"I manage the JuSTEMagine website and am currently trying to work on an app with Prairie STEM. I also try to come up with volunteer opportunities that use art to spread STEM and SEL."
What motivated you to apply for the JuSTEMagine board and be a part of JuSTEMagine?
"I had been wanting to get more involved in the community, and I've always loved STEAM subjects. I heard about JuSTEMagine through my computer science teacher and liked JuSTEMagine's goal of spreading STEM and SEL. I thought getting involved with JuSTEMagine would be the perfect way to give back to my community as well as share my love of science, technology, and art with other people."
What do you enjoy about art and technology? Is there a favorite JuSTEMagine project you’ve done?
"I love how there is always something new and interesting to explore in art and technology. I also like that both subjects allow me to think outside of the box in order to create things and solve problems. I don't really have a favorite project, but I have really enjoyed all of the opportunities to volunteer at schools and help kids with crafts."
What do you hope to accomplish over the next year in your position? What are you excited about?
"I hope to plan more volunteer opportunities for those interested in the art committee. I would also like to spend more time on the app that we are working on with Prairie STEM. I'm excited to meet new people while volunteering."
What does the new art subcommittee do and how can volunteers help?
"The art subcommittee has helped with an after school craft at Brownell Talbot in order to help younger students better understand SEL. Currently, we are planning to meet up monthly to create cards and letters to send to different organizations. In the future, we hope to come up with more activities to help spread STEM and SEL. Anyone interested in volunteering can contact JuSTEMagine through the website (also filling out the volunteer interest form) and we can share information for any upcoming meetings."
What’s your favorite JuSTEMagjne project/event you’ve been a part of?
"My favorite JuSTEMagine event took place earlier this year over zoom. We helped kids make paper airplanes and quickly explained the basic science behind it. I liked being able to see all of the different ways they designed and crafted their paper airplanes."
What’s a piece of advice you would give to volunteers/chapters/future board members?
"Some advice would be to be confident and try new things. While putting yourself out there may be scary, it always pays off in the end. I think stepping out of your comfort zone always provides a great learning experience, and it enables you to meet new people and explore new subjects."
Are you involved in any other STEM classes or activities?
"I'm a member of the science, math, and art club at Duchesne Academy. I've taken a few programming classes and am currently taking AP Computer Science A. I am also a part of my school's robotics team."
What’s a fun fact about you?
"My favorite animal is a chameleon."
Thank you to Aubrey for being this month’s board member spotlight, and thanks for all your hard work!
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