STEMming in Stilettos with Dr. Toshia

Episode Summary
Lauren is the real deal when it comes to mathematics and integrating STEM. Her work with VEX Robotics ensures that the curriculum is designed to promote healthy STEM which means that it is integrated. She is and has always been a strong advocate for herself and for others. I love the work that she is doing with her doctoral studies and I believe it will have a lasting impact on the world of STEM.

What can we say about VEX Robotics and the World Competition happening right now!! You can get more information about vex here: Home - VEX Robotics

More information about the competition or how to start a team here: https://www.vexrobotics.com/competition



Lauren Harter Bio
Lauren Harter is the Director of Instructional Technology at VEX Robotics and has a wide range of experience in education. From teaching in the high school setting to developing materials that teachers use in numerous countries, Lauren’s experiences have shaped her contributions to the educational community.

Lauren received a double bachelor's in Mathematics and Secondary Mathematics Education from Duquesne University in 2016. Shortly after, she began teaching high school mathematics at Serra Catholic High. For two years, she taught 9-12th grade Algebra I, Algebra II, Trigonometry, and Calculus to a wide range of students.

Lauren is nearing the end of her Doctoral studies and is conducting research in teaching practices that promote conceptual understanding in mathematics and teacher quality.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-harter-1b4788b0

Support the show

You can find out more information about Dr. Toshia here:

https://www.drtoshia.co

STEMming in Stilettos Youtube Channel: https://youtu.be/xAc25J7UH9A

Episode Summary

Ursula Spencer is a super dope nerd. She is a Black woman in STEM who has overcome all the -isms to lead her own company that serves kids all over the world.  Early on in her career, she took ownership and wrote her own path. She is an entrepreneur and tech guru that is investing in our future through Dope Nerds and AR/VR. This episode takes the listener through some of her past experiences and give insight into why she feels so strongly about giving back to the community and bringing young, gifted, and Black students into the world of tech.

Ursula Spencer Bio

The founder of Dope Nerds is a self-taught technologist and accomplished tech entrepreneur. At the young age of 11, she taught herself how to hack and launched her first tech company at 21 years of age. With over 30 years of experience as a Sr. Consultant, Subject Matter Expert, and Technical Advisor, she has worked for organizations such as the Federal Reserve Bank, Chase, and Bankers Trust, ultimately leading technology teams for the Federal Reserve System's twelve banks. Her interest in virtual reality began in 2009 when she became an early adopter of online virtual worlds to understand its potential impact on industries beyond entertainment and gaming. In 2019, she founded Dope Nerds as a brand, focusing on leveraging her technical expertise to provide innovative and impactful learning experiences for youth and under-represented communities. 


Website: https://dopenerds.tech
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ursulaspencer/

Support the show

You can find out more information about Dr. Toshia here:

https://www.drtoshia.co

STEMming in Stilettos Youtube Channel: https://youtu.be/xAc25J7UH9A

Episode Summary

1. Her experiences are sooooooooooooo familiar to me as a Black woman in STEM.
2. She has been able to use her experience to assist and help others in leadership and beyond.
3. She is proud to be from New Jersey and to have been educated in New Jersey. 


Angie Ogando Bio

Angie Ogando received the following degrees from NJIT – a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering in 2002 and an MBA degree in 2011. She provides insight into conflict resolution, corporate values alignment, mission integration, and effective communication strategies. She is a Certified Master Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) coach and trainer and a Certified Master Trainer in Hypnosis. She is a co-founder of Yoshida Academy, a company focused on helping individuals improve their leadership talents and public speaking skills. She is also the founder and chief executive officer of The Enriched Mind, a company that offers leadership training for companies in finance, technology, and the fashion industry. Other positions held include Chief Operating Officer at Global Performance Group (2016) and Licensed Insurance Representative at Primeamerica (2003-2005). Ms. Ogando is a founding member of the Association of Ecuadorians/Americans United and was an advisor to the Institute of Ecuadorian-Latina Women Leaders. For eight years, she partnered with nonprofit organizations to provide legal and medical aid to the underserved Latino community through the association. Ms. Ogando was named Woman of the Year by the Dominican Parade in Essex County in 2009 and received the Community Activist award from the Municipal Council of the City of Newark in 2010.

Her clients call her the "People Whisperer." You'll call her amazing! An international powerhouse speaker, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and change maker, Angelica's superpower is being an Afro-Latina who can connect to people on the next level! Integrating her business and life experiences with her world-class coaching skills, Angelica will help you develop powerful, long-lasting success strategies to tap into your powers.

Support the show

You can find out more information about Dr. Toshia here:

https://www.drtoshia.co

STEMming in Stilettos Youtube Channel: https://youtu.be/xAc25J7UH9A

Episode Summary
Atiyah has always loved math. It's in her DNA. She would go to the store and count out her change at the checkout line. Her math abilities led her to private school. She learned to navigate two different worlds, private school, and the real world. She's always wanted to inform the world using math.  Black Girls Love Math is a labor of love to give girls a firm foundation and positive math identity. She has taken her love, life, career, and experiences and used them to assist other Black girls in persisting and succeeding at the next level starting with Math.

Atiyah Harmon Bio
She is the Founder and Executive Director of Black Girls Love Math. BGLM eliminates gender and racial inequalities in math for all who identify as Black girls in grades K-12. Additionally, she leads and creates adult professional learning. She is a Certified School Building Leader, Principal, and Leadership Coach with 15+ years of experience in education. She offers advanced instructional and leadership skills as well as expertise in instructional coaching, curriculum development, youth development, service learning, and positive behavior supports. She is committed to performance improvement and providing a full capability offering in educational enhancement activities from Kindergarten through twelfth grades.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/atiyaharmon
Website: https://www.blackgirlslovemath.org/

Support the show

You can find out more information about Dr. Toshia here:

https://www.drtoshia.co

STEMming in Stilettos Youtube Channel: https://youtu.be/xAc25J7UH9A

Episode Summary
There is so much to be said about the topic we discussed in the episode. Sans makes some great points as it relates to what happened to women during the pandemic. People are NOT really talking about this issue. It is important. Women were disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Many women had to leave jobs they loved to care for their children and this is sometimes with a partner in the home. Women across the world had to make hard choices that oftentimes led to great sacrifice for the women themselves. Sans talks about the health effects and the effect these decisions have had on the world at large. 




Sans Thakur Bio
Sans leads innovation in the making of science & medicine. With combined operating and strategic experience across more than 30 companies, +10 products, multiple digital health venture funds, and top 20 pharmaceutical portfolios, she is uniquely able to address matters of modern healthcare. 
She is Medable’s Chief Growth Officer and is focused on market expansion and growth initiatives to advance the company’s vision of human-centered research, enabling remote access to clinical trials regardless of geography, income, and race. She most recently served as global life sciences research lead for Accenture, responsible for market-shaping strategy and research in therapeutics, digital health, and business model innovation. During her 18 years in the life sciences industry, Thakur has advised more than 30 companies, launched 10 products, advised digital health venture funds, and managed a leading pharmaceutical portfolio.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanskritithakur/

Support the show

You can find out more information about Dr. Toshia here:

https://www.drtoshia.co

STEMming in Stilettos Youtube Channel: https://youtu.be/xAc25J7UH9A

Episode Summary
Shane Woods is a woman in STEM advocate. She believes in equity and diversity in STEM and wants to be STEM be equitable across all stations in life. Her experience as a Black woman in STEM and as a teacher has taught her how to advocate for all in STEM. She is thoughtful and mindful of the experiences that children are having in school and has sought to be an answer to the problem. Girl Start is a blessed organization to have her at the helm.



Shane Woods Bio
Shane is Girlstart’s Executive Director. She began her career as a middle school science teacher in the Fort Worth Independent School District. In her 17 years with the district, Shane was able to make her mark in every position she held from department chair to leading the entire district as the K-12 Science Director overseeing curriculum and assessment development while supporting teachers in honing their skills through year-long professional learning opportunities. Most recently, Shane acted as the Senior Director of the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas STEM Center of Excellence, which is a 92-acre living laboratory where kids of all ages can explore and develop their competence and confidence in science, technology, engineering, and math – all while cultivating essential skills such as confidence, resilience, leadership, risk-taking, and problem-solving. Shane has a B.S. in Biology from Xavier University of New Orleans and an M.S.Ed. in Middle-Level Science and Mathematics from Walden University. She remains active in her community as a nationally recognized and award-winning leader and speaker in science education. Shane holds leadership positions with National Science Education Leadership Association, American Camp Association, and the Women Leading Technology Sorority.

Website: www.girlstart.org
                      https://www.brainstemconsultants.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-woods-stem/ 

Support the show

You can find out more information about Dr. Toshia here:

https://www.drtoshia.co

STEMming in Stilettos Youtube Channel: https://youtu.be/xAc25J7UH9A

Episode Summary

Intentional is my one word to focus on this year. I read Jon Gordon's book, One Word That Will Change Your Life. It is a great read. It talks about focusing on one word instead of making resolutions or goals for the year. Focus on one word for the year. Define that word and focus on what it means you are doing during this year. 

Book website: https://jongordon.com/books/one-word/

Intentional means “to be done by design. This stresses that there is an awareness of an end to be achieved. Being intentional is about bringing commitment, focus, and attention to something important to you.  If you want to be intentional every day you need to get clear upfront about what you want to achieve and then take action on achieving it. 

Ways to be Intentional this year.

1. Be deliberate about your day.
2. Be clear about the result you want
3. Be purposeful with your time
4. Be intentional about you

Thanks for all of your support.

Support the show

You can find out more information about Dr. Toshia here:

https://www.drtoshia.co

STEMming in Stilettos Youtube Channel: https://youtu.be/xAc25J7UH9A

Episode Summary

1) Her STEM Story started with her brother's disability and her wanting to understand it and try to find a way to assist in making his life easier.
2) She has been able to bring her STEM education and her imaginative and creative nature to her work.
3) She has taught high school and at the collegiate level. She loves working with students to understand how the brain works. It is her life's work.
4) She has been able to pair Maker Spaces and Chemistry together and now the Metaverse and Science together.
5) Her work with the Metaverse and VR is inspiring others throughout the country and is indeed inspiring the next generation of STEM professionals to follow in her footsteps.

Dr. Muhsinah Morris Bio

Muhsinah L. Holmes Morris, Ph.D., is the academic program director and assistant professor of chemistry. Morris received a B.S. in chemistry from Clark Atlanta University with honors (cum laude) and an M.S. and Ph.D. in chemistry from Emory University (biomolecular division). Her research encompasses working in the Morehouse Makerspace Exploration Center, 3D Printing Specialized Laboratory Equipment for those with Autism and other Developmental Disorders. She is the PI of the Morris Research and Innovation Group, where they research and develop technologically innovative solutions for those with autism. Dr. Morris won the 2021 Vulcan Teaching Award of Excellence and launched her Advanced Inorganic Chemistry course in virtual reality in the spring of 2021 in the digital twin campus created by VictoryXR on the Engage Platform. She is a pioneer in this space as the chemistry content in VR is limited to non-existent. Wife to a gamer and mom to five sons, she is an inventive autism mom, a volunteer advocacy ambassador, National Community Advisory Council member, and grant review committee member for Autism Speaks. Her purpose in life is to create inclusivity in STEAAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, agriculture, and math). She believes that VR provides a pathway for creating that inclusion through immersive education, vocational rehabilitation services, and therapeutic experiences.

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/drmuhsinahmorris
Website: unitethemetaverse.com

Support the show

You can find out more information about Dr. Toshia here:

https://www.drtoshia.co

STEMming in Stilettos Youtube Channel: https://youtu.be/xAc25J7UH9A

Episode Summary

In this episode of STEMming in Stilettos, Dr. Claire and I discuss mental help and its effects on women of color. This conversation touched on the trauma of the Black and Brown communities and how we can fix it by getting the help we need. This is the episode you want to listen in.

Dr. Claire Green-Forde Bio

Dr. Claire J. Green-Forde is the founder and CEO of Dr. Claire Speaks!, LLC, and co-founder of Chapter tOO, LLC. She is an inspirational speaker, racial and social justice advocate, and licensed clinical social worker. With an unapologetic foundation of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI), her work focuses on mental health, social and racial justice, advocacy, health equity, and intersectionality.

Website: https://chaptertoo.com/

Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-claire-green-forde-lcsw-48023836

Support the show

You can find out more information about Dr. Toshia here:

https://www.drtoshia.co

STEMming in Stilettos Youtube Channel: https://youtu.be/xAc25J7UH9A

Episode Summary

I don't know about you all, but 2022 kicked my butt!!! It did and apparently, I needed it. I am ever so grateful to have gone through this year and to heal, to learn, and to grow. This episode gives you all the four BIG lessons I learned this year.

I sincerely pray that this year was good to you and for you. I pray that 2023 brings you joy, opportunity, and all the good things. 

Happy Holidays

Dr. Toshia

Support the show

You can find out more information about Dr. Toshia here:

https://www.drtoshia.co

STEMming in Stilettos Youtube Channel: https://youtu.be/xAc25J7UH9A