Leedjia Svec

Mentor Leedjia Svec was featured in an article by Wogrammer highlighting her innovative and creative efforts to promote science education around the world. Leedjia, who is passionate about both science and art, started a personal blog called StylishSTEM that explores the ways in which STEM is used in the fashion industry.
The article also highlights Leedjia’s travels to Nigeria as part of the 2018 TechWomen delegation, where she connected with a woman who works at the African Technology Foundation. Through this connection, Leedjia discovered that the foundation is working on NASA’s International Space App Challenge in an effort to support Nigeria to become an important stakeholder in the space industry.
The trip inspired Leedjia to think about STEM and fashion within this context. She said, “What if we combine space concepts into their fabric? Nigerian textiles are a huge part of their culture and are present everywhere. If we incorporate space themes into their fabric, they will begin to see space everywhere and their own identity in space. It would be a fun way to learn and see themselves in these industries.” Leedjia continues to leverage the relationships she built on the delegation trip to Nigeria, including by co-developing a color physics curriculum using the foundation’s textiles.