Chemical Kim

What do you hope students took from your session?

I hope they walked away knowing they belong in STEM — and that everyone has something important to contribute. Don't move through your education as a great pretender. If a lesson feels difficult, it may simply be because your background differs from the one presenting it — not because you're not smart enough to be there. That difference is exactly why your voice is needed. Science only improves when people from different backgrounds and experiences help expand it.

What stood out to you about this generation of young innovators?

This generation is less afraid to bring their full selves into STEM. They're connecting it to fashion, art, language, disability advocacy and more — recognizing that STEM touches every part of life, and has real power to improve our environment and communities.

Why does mentoring the next generation matter to you?

When I was a young STEM student, I rarely saw anyone who looked like me — as a woman, and as a gay woman. I tried to become someone I wasn't, and that made learning chemistry a real struggle, because I was seeing the subject through eyes that weren't mine.

Mentoring matters to me because I want this generation to never go through that. I want them to stay true to themselves and never feel they have to change to belong.