VICTORIA REN
UNITED STATES, 17
She/Her
Project: STEM & Buds
In middle school, Victoria participated in many STEM events and competitions where she often felt the environment was overly competitive and rigid. In August 2018, Victoria co-founded STEM & Buds to create a supportive, inclusive, and accessible environment for students to explore STEM and its intersection with their interests and identities. STEM & Buds is a nonprofit organization working to redefine STEM education by bridging students to mentors, shaping ideas into initiatives, and translating science into civics. They offer peer mentorship-based camps and outreach programs in schools, shelters and community centers across the United States, Turkey and Canada. STEM & Buds does not believe STEM is an exclusive domain for experts, comprised only of technical skills. They are unique in that they emphasize civic science, the belief that diverse perspectives and societal needs shape science, and scientific discoveries influence all layers of society. They focus on building a diverse community of civically engaged, scientifically-informed citizens who can create change. Since 2018, STEM & Buds has impacted 3,500 students and grown to 60 chapters run by 100 youth leaders in their communities. In 2022, Victoria will begin piloting partnership-based fellowships for high schoolers who want to focus on specific topics such as journalism and philosophy, and how they intersect with civic science. She hopes her work paves the way for more cross-sector partnerships for students to explore their passions within civic science, which is currently a major gap in STEM education.