“Inspiration can come from anywhere:” Bridging STEM and DEI Through Storytelling

“Inspiration can come from anywhere.”

That is what Sibrina Collins embodies as she navigates the intersection of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education and diversity, equity, and inclusion through storytelling. Collins uses storytelling as a pedagogical tool to both address equity in the classroom and engage the future generation of STEM leaders through conversations and connections between superheroes and science.

Collins is a chemist by trade, but her work is heavily based on STEM and DEI. “I think my work is creative and innovative because I'm always looking for strategies or approaches to make science relatable. You cannot continue to teach the same way, thinking you're going to reach new students.” As Collins grew up, there was not a push to have girls in STEM, and there certainly was not a push to encourage people of color to envision themselves in the field. In June 1994, Collins was one of eight African American students enrolled in a graduate program at Ohio State University. The Chemistry Department Chair, Dr. Matt Platz, invited all eight students to lunch and held a candid conversation about inclusion in chemistry and what the department can do to encourage more people of color to join the program. It was that day in June 1994 that started Collins’ journey of inclusion toward diversity in STEM.

Since that day in 1994, Collins’ has had a phenomenal track record for all her achievements. In addition to being a chemist, she leads Lawrence Tech’s College of Arts and Sciences in the Michigan College and University Partnership (MICUP) Program. The program engages and exposes community college students and faculty to opportunities at Lawrence Tech. Recently, Collins helped create an event that invited students from Henry Ford College to LTU for the 2023 Annual Research Day. Henry Ford students got to present their research while also networking with LTU students and faculty, providing them the platform to showcase their work and learn about opportunities to complete their education at LTU to earn a four-year degree. Collins is also part of a project with the Women of Ford. The project provides funding to establish automotive engineering clubs for girls at two different Detroit Public School Community District schools: Osborn High School and Western International High School.

Collins has recently been named as the 2024 Gordon Cain Conference Fellow at the Science History Institute, a prestigious institute with very valuable recognition. Collins describes the excitement of being awarded the fellowship with: “[I’m excited to] potentially network with other like-minded individuals and collaborate on potential projects, but not only that, just learning from a different audience as well. Beyond my usual network, it's going to provide me with an opportunity to reach a much broader audience.” Collins’ will organize the 2024 Gordon Cain Conference, which will be held at the Science History Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in July 2024, where the theme of using historical biographies in STEM education ties instinctually to her work. As the Science History Institute states, “participants will explore how sharing the stories of diverse scientists can help young girls and people of color see themselves as valuable contributors to the fields, historically and in the future.”

Storytelling is a pedagogy Collins utilizes in the classroom to motivate students. “It's important to celebrate the history of science. But what I noticed was that people of color were not represented in the story. This inspired me to do storytelling and bring in historical biographies that align with the content.” Often in the classroom or in textbooks, we only talk about the success; we celebrate the discovery and the win but never allude to the steps, processes, and failures that often lead to such success. It is important to celebrate the entire person and the experiences they went through to get to where they are—authenticity and transparency have the opportunity to inspire. As Collins puts it, “if you tell a student a compelling story about somebody that looks like them that has done something very innovative impacting society, that might be just the thing that they need to say, you know what, I'm going to pursue STEM because if that person could, so can I.”

We often find ourselves asking students to simply identify their passions and use that as a guideline for their career, when we should be asking students what impact they wish to make on the world, in their lives, and in their communities. Students should be encouraged to expand their thinking and think critically, immensely, and deeply. The answers to such questions will evolve as society evolves, but students should not be limited to simply a career but a world of questions and inquiries—this is at the core of what Collins is initiating through her innovative involvements and works that are at the heart of STEM and DEI.

Collins would love for everyone to be a chemist, but if that is not a possibility, then she wishes for everyone to simply have the chance to explore STEM: “I am the role model that I never had. I am a real-life Shuri from Black Panther, helping students, young people that look like me, that come from communities like mine, get them to understand that STEM or STEAM is for them.”

by Nurzahan Rahman