{Guest Post by Vanessa Womack}
Most people know that literacy skills and positive student behaviors are important for a student to be successful. I have been an advocate for STEM or STEAM learning in schools for over 15 years, particularly for disadvantaged and students in Communities of Color. Writing the Emerald Jones book is the first in my series of books featuring students engaged in adventures in STEAM.
A Diverse STEM/STEAM Book
STEAM skills (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) are even more vital predictors of success in the 21st century. In my debut children’s book, Emerald Jones: The Fashion Designer Diva (July 2020), I wanted to create a story that emerges a child’s imagination or a desire to dream of a successful future with their ability to excel in subjects like STEAM. Essentially, the stories meet the students where they are using hobbies, passions, interests to show them what they can achieve. In Emerald or Emmie’s case, as she likes to be called, the mathematically talented 11-year-old African American girl is on her way to becoming a fashion designer.
The idea for this book series came to me as I was returning home from a business trip in 2012. The drive from Virginia Beach to Richmond was after a failed school board campaign. During my drive, I was trying to figure out what else could I do to help students find that interest in STEM, as it was part of my campaign platform, along with year-round schools. That experience sparked the conception of the first three books. Over the next few months, I labored over the stories and developed a pathway for learning success from elementary to college. The first four stories of the series sat dormant for nearly seven years—they are long overdue to be published.
My groundbreaking books help students visualize how STEM subjects are steppingstones for their future careers. This series is geared towards students, ages 8 – 12, who live in mostly underserved urban and rural communities. Each book is an illustrated story that shows how students may apply science, technology, engineering, and math skills now to help them prepare for the future. Best of all, students can write their own stories and build a yearly plan to track grades, new developments, and education milestones.
Let’s create great stories together!
Vanessa Womack, MBA
Vanessa Womack has a LinkedIn Learning course “Managing A Diverse Team.” She is an experienced facilitator in leadership, governance, community dialogue, and soft skills.
Vanessa is the author of a children’s STEM book, ‘Emerald Jones: The Fashion Designer Diva’ and a romance novel, ‘Paint the Sky Purple’.
She earned her undergraduate degree from Baruch College (CUNY) and graduate degree from Averett University.
Vanessa had community engagement and leadership roles in a mentoring program, an advisory council member for the Virginia Commonwealth University- Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute Minority Political Leadership Institute, and Initiatives of Change.
Website: www.painttheskypurple.com
