Amanda Yokingco

Amanda Yokingco
Let’s Talk Science volunteer at the University of Toronto – Scarborough

Amanda aims to make STEM accessible to a diverse range of students through youth-centered STEM outreach with Let’s Talk Science!

Time volunteering with Let’s Talk Science: September 2018 (almost 2 years!)

Area of study: Undergraduate, studying Molecular Biology & Biotechnology and Applied Statistics

Inspirational Moment: In the summer of 2019, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to do classroom outreach in rural and Indigenous communities in the Yukon Territory with an amazing team made up of other students from the University of Toronto Scarborough campus. We were so thankful to be welcomed into their schools and communities and to work with students of all ages who did not engage in STEM activities regularly. I also really enjoyed learning facilitation techniques from some of the best senior volunteers at our site, as well as exploring the beautiful Yukon landscape in our downtime.

Favourite Let’s Talk Science volunteering activity: Definitely DNA Extraction ?

Why do you volunteer with Let’s Talk Science?: I volunteer with Let’s Talk Science because it strongly aligns with my belief in the importance of youth-centered STEM outreach, scientific literacy, as well as equity and inclusion for a diverse range of students with different learning abilities, as the underrepresentation of women and marginalized people remains a huge problem in many STEM fields today.

Fun fact: I will be serving as one of the Classroom Outreach Coordinators at the University of Toronto Scarborough site for the upcoming 2020-21 year!