Q+A: Nora Calif on inequalities, realising your potential and making an impact through STEM…

If you had infinite time, money and resources to solve just one global challenge, what would it be, and why?

With an unlimited amount of time, money, and resources, I would solve educational inequality. By decreasing the disparities in the quality and access to educational resources/opportunities, I firmly believe that citizens (especially youth) would be better equipped to tackle other global challenges. It’s like the phrase “killing two birds with one stone”, except rather than two birds, it’s a multitude of world issues we can take a step towards solving by first eliminating educational disparities.

How did you get involved in STEM?

Growing up, I’ve never quite known what field I was passionate about because I was interested in practically everything. However, one thing that persisted was my thirst for knowledge and endless curiosity. It was only when I entered high school that I found STEM-related classes to be the only ones that genuinely fulfilled these desires. With the guidance of a few supportive and dedicated teachers, it didn’t take long before I realized this was the field I wanted to pursue.

If you could share one tip for someone who's new to making a difference through STEM, what would it be?

One thing I would say is don’t underestimate your ability to inspire and impact others. Too many young people often struggle to realize the immense potential any one individual has in creating meaningful change. Still, once you overcome your mental barriers and self-imposed limitations, nothing stops you from making a difference through STEM. Anyone passionate enough to try and disciplined enough to stick with it can succeed in creating an impact, even on a relatively smaller scale.

How do you think STEM is impacting your community?

I believe that STEM has the remarkable ability to impact communities and policy. However, when this knowledge is gatekept, the potential to make a difference through science and technology is reduced due to few issues being brought to light. With more black people and members of other marginalized groups getting involved in STEM, we can shed light on our varied experiences and utilize the full extent of STEM to solve global challenges. While our limited involvement in this field still reflects the deep-rooted biases in academia and research, it is incredible to see more and more minorities get involved and empower their communities through STEM.

What do you hope that the Youth STEM Summit will achieve in terms of empowering youth globally to tackle the world's biggest challenges, and why do you think this is important?

I hope that through the various activities and talks during the Summit, attendees can come out of it inspired by the people they meet and with a greater awareness of their capability to create a meaningful impact using STEM. It is absolutely vital for youths to understand their potential to thrive truly. If we could achieve this to some degree, I’d consider the Summit a complete success!

What are you most excited for about the Youth STEM Summit?

I’m most excited about networking and being able to connect with like-minded youth through this platform. As a citizen in this digital age, collaboration and connection on an international scale are both possible and increasingly necessary for global innovation and development. I’m thrilled to be able to meet some bright-minded and passionate individuals during this Summit!