Ambassador Program

Join the STEMarts Ambassador program and become part of a global community of youth leaders! As a STEMarts Ambassador, you will gain valuable 21st-century skills in event production, sci-art communication, Extended Reality (XR) and digital media creation. Through the Space Messengers curriculum, Bootcamps and online workshops, you will explore the universe through the lens of professionals in the fields of particle physics, astrophysics, space science, space policy, native science, and new media art. This training will enable you to share your knowledge with others, developing your artistic, scientific and humanistic literacy. Trained Ambassadors receive stipends for leading activities, teaching workshops, and working as installation assistants and experience guides at STEMarts events .

Our program is open to individuals aged 14-29 who are passionate about STEAM (the intersection of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics). As an Ambassador in the STEMarts International Youth Exchange, you will have the opportunity to collaborate with Ambassadors from participating cities and countries and apply for our travel awards to be an Ambassador in our partner countries. This experience will develop your global collaboration and intercultural communication skills. Moreover, you will become part of the creative team and have the chance to lead STEMarts programs in your own community.

As a STEMarts Ambassador, you will have the chance to work and receive stipends for participation in festivals like the Balloon Museum/Fiesta, helping to create, install and serve as an Experience Guide in person or virtually. Join us today and become part of the Space Messengers creative team as a STEMarts Ambassador to meet new friends, make professional connections, gain invaluable 21st century skills and have fun as part of this international sci-art project.

Email us to learn more: [email protected]

Meet our STEMarts Coordinators

Dania Loya

My name is Dania Loya. I am from Taos, NM but recently moved out East and now I’m currently living in Cleveland, OH. I attended UNM and received my BS in Instructional Technology and Training. I am a multi-media artist primarily focusing on projection mapping installations displaying natural technology and Sacred Geometry. Currently, I am part of STEMarts team as an alumni and as an Ambassador for the International Space Messengers project. In my time in Cleveland, I have also brought in digital media art forms to my current organization and am working on a curating a project for a permanent projection mapping installation. Being a STEMarts alumni, I have been working on STEMarts projects since high school at Taos Academy in 2012 where I participated in the Corpus Electric presentation for the ISEA2012 festival in Albuquerque and co-created the jellyfish dress in collaboration with my team and Patricia Michaels as mentor.  Since 2014 I have been a PASEO Festival volunteer where I worked with cutting edge new media artists. I have also participated and showcased my collaborated work with BARTKRESA Studios in Denver, CO and Las Vegas, NV. I am excited to continue my journey with STEMarts Lab in the development of combining science and art into a collaborative piece. Teaching and creating are great passions of mine and am looking forward in sharing this experience with our next generation.

Alyson Martinez

Alyson Shannon Martinez joined the STEMarts Lab team in 2022 as a Director’s Assistant Apprentice, funded through the Taos Pueblo Education and Training Division Apprenticeship program.  She is now serving as STEMarts instructor and mentor to new ambassadors joining the program. “Coming from Taos, New Mexico, I am half Native American and half Spanish. Growing up in this beautiful town surrounded by not only a family of artists, but a town of creative and imaginative minds, I learned the value of art and how much power it holds. I graduated from an online high school called Pecos Cyber Academy. I will be attending a couple years in the Taos branch of UNM and transferring to Highlands in Las Vegas, New Mexico to pursue counseling, psychology, and art therapy. As an artist I look for new ways to help youth understand their mind in order to help better themselves and their community.”

Shaylee Mirabal

Hello! My name is Shaylee Mirabal. I am 17 years old and am from Taos Pueblo. I am a recent graduate from Taos High school, and I am planning on attending the University of New Mexico this coming school year. I plan on pursuing a bachelor’s degree in nursing. For as long as I can remember, I have always been interested in all things science and art related. Because of this I believe being a STEMarts Coordinator will be a great learning experience and that I will greatly benefit from participating in it.

Megan Odom

My name is Megan Odom and I am a freshman student at New Mexico School for the Arts. As a young female in STEM and a theater major, I have a strong passion for both the arts and sciences alike. Growing up in Santa Fe, the artistic community has been a constant influence in my life and has shaped my artistic personality and outlook. Another amazing thing Santa Fe has had to offer is a massive sky full of stars which sparked my love for astrophysics. This lead me down a discovery for passions within other fields of science. In my free time you’ll often find me hanging out with friends, skiing, and stargazing. With a particularly strong interest in community building and upcoming advancements in technology I plan to work hard to achieve something great with this wonderful team and program.  Megan Odom website

Carolina Estrella Spiller

My name is Carolina Estrella Spiller. I’m from the western region of Mexico and, I’m graduating in International Relations at the University of Guadalajara. My areas of interest are Public Diplomacy matters, International Law, International Migration, and the cultural relationship of Mexico with the US. My main goal is to truly see the world around me, meet new people, know different cultures, experience different challenges, and, always, keep acquiring new knowledge. I’m thrilled about being part of the STEMarts Ambassador program because I believe that culture, education, society, and, cooperation are the core of development and progress. I look forward that through this international youth exchange, we can all make our reflections and actions change our future for the better.

Meet our STEMarts Ambassadors

U.S.A.

Asa Garcia-Toya

Hello! I’m Asa Garcia. I recently moved to Taos, NM in June of 2022. I’m from Jemez Pueblo of the Tewa people. I’m 17 years old and about to finish High School. I go to Taos Academy, primarily focusing on a future in STEM. I hope to grasp onto the path of Biomedical Engineering, helping others in the medical field and advancing in my career. I was recently trained as a STEMarts Ambassador through the Bootcamps at UNM-Taos HIVE.

Rocio Aguilar

Hello my name is Rocio Aguilar, I’m from Albuquerque, New Mexico. I am attending the University of New Mexico and majoring in Art Studio with a minor in Animation. Currently I am set to graduate in Spring of 2024 and have been looking for various areas to learn about to expand my knowledge. Although I’m not solely focused on VR technology I find it fascinating and interesting. Combining art, STEM topics and technology is new to me and I’m excited to be a part of these projects.

Feliciana Mitchell-Gonzales

Hi! I’m Feliciana Mitchell-Gonzales, and I use they/them pronouns. I am Chicanx, and I live in Peñasco, NM. I am a sophomore in the Theater Department at New Mexico School for the Arts in Santa Fe. My favorite activities are biking, hiking, skiing, climbing trees, and roller skating. I like playing video games, reading graphic novels, acting, and baking. I participate in circus arts such as aerial fabric, stilts, trapeze lyra. I am also an activist for gender, race and climate change. I love being a part of STEMarts because I love learning about VR, chemistry, and digital art.

Go to Website

Selena Pacheco

My name is Selena Pacheco. I am a 22-year-old student and artist based in Taos, NM. Currently focused on obtaining an Associate in Pre-Science at the University of New Mexico-Taos. My passion lies in the beautiful synergy between STEM and art. My recent participation in a BioArt Residency at the School of Visual Arts has further fueled my curiosity and creative endeavors. I aspire to bridge the gap between these seemingly distinct fields, exploring innovative ways to merge science and art into captivating and thought-provoking works.

Aspen Granger

Hello! My name is Aspen Granger. I’m 18 and I come from Texas. I’m a electronic experimental musician who creates vibrations with synthesizers and messes with circuits and I hope to be a electrical engineer one day. I can’t wait to make some more noise with my crazy sounds. I participated as a VR Coordinator at the Space Messengers installation at The PASEO 2022 festival and also performed for the Space Bear installation.

Taylor Streit

Hello! My name is Taylor Streit. I am 14 years old. I have lived in Taos, New Mexico my entire life and have always been interested in science, outer space, and art. I am currently attending Taos High School. In the past, I’ve been very interested in STEM and have attended several day-long programs around the state and have also attended a week long sleepaway science program at New Mexico Tech in Soccorro, New Mexico. I am excited to see where STEMarts will take me!

Austria

Magdalena Bauer

Hello my name is Magdalena, I am 17 years old and I come from Austria. I go to a high school with a focus on art and media design and that’s how I found out about the Space Messenger project. Through my help at the Ars Electronica Festival in Linz, I found STEMarts and made many new and interesting contacts with people from all over the world. I’m now starting my STEMarts journey and I’m excited about all the great experiences and things I’ll gain and learn!

Mexico

Santiago Valadez

My name is Santiago Valadez (Santy for everyone), and I’m a freshman student at CUCEA-UdG in Guadalajara, Mexico. Since childhood, I have been very interested in STEM, although I didn’t fully understand it at the time. At the same time, I’ve always had a passion for the arts, especially music and everything that encompasses it. During high school, I had the opportunity to explore my skills in these areas, along with learning English, and it was incredibly beneficial for my personal growth. It helped me achieve things that I had never imagined possible, such as being a scriptwriter, actor, artistic producer, and, above all, the musical producer for the first play in English at a UdG high school. One of my primary goals is to demonstrate that the arts and sciences are much closer than one might think. They can contribute significantly to students’ development and expand their creativity and imagination. Nothing is impossible when we approach everything with a whole heart.

Carolina Estrella Spiller

My name is Carolina Estrella Spiller. I’m from the western region of Mexico and, I’m graduating in International Relations at the University of Guadalajara. My areas of interest are Public Diplomacy matters, International Law, International Migration, and the cultural relationship of Mexico with the US. My main goal is to truly see the world around me, meet new people, know different cultures, experience different challenges, and, always, keep acquiring new knowledge. I’m thrilled about being part of the STEMarts Ambassador program because I believe that culture, education, society, and, cooperation are the core of development and progress. I look forward that through this international youth exchange, we can all make our reflections and actions change our future for the better.

Portugal

Diogo Duarte

Diogo is a 21 year old Portuguese student finishing a Master’s Degree in Computer Engineering. In the past few years, besides having a heavy education in programming, he developed a passion for UX/UI which he intends to follow as a career. Even though he has a high degree of interest in gaming and design, he still likes to be up-to-date and get to know everything related to technology.

Maria Matos

Maria is a 22 year old Portuguese student. She is finishing her Master’s in Computer Engineering, focused on Human-Computer Interaction in Lisbon University. She likes to help people and this past year she discovered her passion in UX/UI Design, connecting people through technology. VR was introduced to her through classes of interaction technologies and animation, thus showing her a new world that she’s eager to explore.

Rafael Balao

Rafael is a 16 year old Portuguese student finishing Drama highschool. In the past years he has been working a lot with performative arts not only as an artist but also as a creative producer. He believes in the power of education through the arts and has developed projects to achieve that goal. He joined Space Messengers when he was 13 years old as a student, then progressed into an ambassador and now Rafael is a STEMarts Coordinator, working all year round directly with the team.

Brazil

Joana D’arc Moreira

My name is Joana D’arc Moreira. I am from Janaúba Brazil and an undergraduate student in the Federal University of Uberlândia, studying International Relations. My personal interests in the field are the ones that allow me to understand social problems, such as gender, racial and economic inequality. Currently, I am researching the allegations of forced hysterectomies that happened in immigrant women in the US detention center. I strive to be able to do social changes through education and knowledge. I am interested in working with an International Organization or NGO that focuses on helping women and minorities, and until then I am part of projects like this one, because I believe in the changes caused by it. I am excited to continue being a STEMarts Ambassador because the project helped me expand my knowledge while I helped others do the same. Besides that, I love the idea of helping young leaders learn more about science and our world through art, because I believe that education it’s the best way to do impactful changes in the world.

Luara Dias

My name is Luara Dias. I’m from Brazil and I have grown up in a small city from Bahia, called Poções. I am 20 years old and I study International Relations at the Federal University of Uberlândia, I’m in my third year of graduation. Since I got into college, I had a great interest in migrations subject and in my personal life I’ve always have a special relationship with children. So, when I decided to start my academic research, I discovered that there was a niche that united these two areas of interest of mine, so I started to dedicate myself to research on migrant children. Now, I’m in my last two years of graduation, however, my plans for the future remain largely the same as when I entered in the university. I want to be a professor. For this, in Brazil, specialization degrees such as master’s and doctorate are required, so my plans and goals for the future include continuing my academic career. But beyond my professional goals, I hope to be able to impact, even if in a simple way, the lives of other people. I strongly believe in a phrase from a Brazilian educator named Paulo Freire who said “Education does not change the world. Education changes people. People change the world.” Like Freire, I am aware that I cannot change the world, but I hope that my work, in the future, can give people the freedom to think they need to start changing the society we are in. So, I am excited about the STEMarts Ambassador program because it is a space that aims to share knowledge and perspectives, in addition to providing me with a very unique exchange experience with people from different realities.

Caroline Assunção

Hi, my name is Caroline Assunção, I’m from northeast of Brazil, I’m 20 years old and nowadays I’m majoring in International Relations at Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (UFU). My interests and areas of study include international law, world’s history, human rights, international politics, gender studies such as queer theory. My dream and goal in life is to explore the world, to learn every day about different things from my reality, to have a positive impact in the world somehow and to connect with people around the world. I’m so excited to be part of this wonderful project as a volunteer because it is an opportunity to be in contact with so many people, from different worlds that together we can learn so much from each other. I’m happy to contribute to the STEMarts International Space Messenger Workshop, because I know that education is the solution to many of the problems we face on earth.

STEMarts Youth Ambassadors

The STEMarts Youth Ambassadors below are from the Escola Secundaria de Sebastiao e Silva. They served as experience guides at the FIC.A festival in October 2022 with the guidance of their teachers, Ana Carvalho and Cristina Pinho, who are now certified STEMarts instructors. To become a STEMarts Ambassador please email us at [email protected].

Stemarts