STEAM Spotlight: Ms. Mejia
Ms. Mejia is an educator in the STEAM program at ILS.
May 20, 2022
The STEAM program at ILS is a wonderful opportunity for students to immerse themselves in a subject that they are passionate about. Ms. Tanya Mejia is one of those teachers who helps STEAM at ILS grow. She leads the Senior Engineering Design course and works alongside Mr. Ruben Ilizarbe with scaffolding the engineering curriculum. Additionally, she helps Dr. Rebacca Shaw with program development and events.
This is her third year at ILS teaching science subjects at different grade levels.
“My favorite aspect of science is that it is literally all around us. If we start to pay attention, we can see so many amazing things happening all around us,” she said.
She always enjoyed science at school, and went on to obtain degrees in the field. She enjoys making connections about how the world works, and sharing that curiosity with her classes.
My first year here was definitely an adjustment, but it really challenged me to grow. I have been able to create interesting projects and activities and furthered my skills in curriculum development. — Mrs. Mejia
She says that her time here at ILS has also deepened her faith.
“Even though I grew up Catholic, I had not had the opportunity to really think about how who I am as a person connected to the Catholic faith. Working at ILS gave me the opportunity to better understand myself and my purpose in life,” she added.
The best part of the STEAM program for her is the way that it provides a real-world experience for students.
“It might not seem like it to students in the classroom,” she begins,“but we’ve had students visit and share that they are even teaching their teachers tricks they’ve picked up in our program.”.
Moments like these assure her that STEAM has really made a difference.
