STEAM Box and Arise youth sit down with "Tacos," a passionate STEM educator and former contestant on LEGO Masters Season 3. Tacos shares her journey from studying architecture to utilizing LEGO and other hands-on materials to teach structural integrity and problem-solving to students. She opens up about the realities of being a woman in highly competitive STEM fields, offering vital advice to young women on remaining tenacious and assertive. The conversation also dives deep into navigating imposter syndrome on national television, managing the intense pressure of reality TV, and maintaining mental wellness. Tacos even reveals how a LEGO building technique known as "greebling" helps soothe her anxiety. Plus, expect plenty of fun-filled banter about favorite LEGO sets, video games, and what it’s really like to hang out with Will Arnett on set.
#STEMEducation #WomenInSTEAM #LEGOMasters #MentalWellness #SteamboxPodcast #HandsOnLearning #EngineeringCareers #ImposterSyndrome #JoyfulRebellion #GirlsInSTEAM

Taking her artist name from a CHamoru creation goddess, Fu'una discusses how she intertwines her indigenous identity and family history in Guam with her creative practice.

Throughout the conversation, she opens up about the physical demands of large scale mural painting the sacrifices required to balance a full-time job with a creative passion and her critical perspective on the environmental and exploitative impacts of generative AI.

The youth also join the dialogue, sharing their own candid stories about navigating parental expectations, pursuing their passions, and protecting their creative freedom.

Ultimately, Fu'una leaves the next generation with a powerful message: start early, learn to work with the right people, and stay fiercely authentic to your own unique vision.

#SteamboxPodcast #ProvidenceArt #CHamoruCulture #IndigenousArtists #CreativeProcess #YouthEmpowerment #ArtAndIdentity #MuralArt #RhodeIslandCreators #AriseYouth

In this special presentation from STEAM Box, the STEAM Box Allstars, a diverse group of high school students from across Rhode Island plan their 3rd annual Joyful Rebellion mental wellness event

The students have a remarkably candid conversation about the unique pressures facing their generation that older adults often misunderstand

They open up about the heavy realities driving their need for mental health support, including the looming fears of ICE and deportation, anxiety over global conflicts, the isolating effects of digital learning, and the difficulty of discussing mental health within immigrant families

As they look forward to community building, therapy dogs, art, and jiu-jitsu at their upcoming event, these young leaders remind us that protecting your peace and finding hope is the ultimate rebellion

#JoyfulRebellion #YouthMentalHealth #SteamboxPodcast #GenZVoices #MentalWellness #EndBurnout #StudentLeaders #ImmigrantFamilies #ProvidenceYouth #FindingHope