Brittany Acevedo, an Anaheim Elementary School District teacher, has one more thing to add to her resume: a children’s book author.
The third and fourth grade teacher at Price Elementary in Anaheim wrote “Nanotechnology” in hopes of inspiring kids from underrepresented communities to take interest in science and potentially become scientists in the future.
“Nanotechnology” is part of a 10-book collection on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics.) The books showcase various careers within the field of science, using characters with different backgrounds and ethnicities. The project out of USC aims to inspire students of color to “see it to be it” and empower them to pursue STEAM careers.
Acevedo, an Anaheim native, said she was concerned that those from Latino communities, especially Latinas, are not going into science as much as those from different ethnic groups.
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“There’s a lack of Latino representation in science,” Acevedo said. “What we want to do is to create models for children that they can look up to and open a book to say, ‘Hey, that scientist looks like me, and one day I can be a scientist.’”
The second-year teacher said, while working on her master’s degree at USC, she was recruited to join the book project whose goal is to diversify children’s literature. She decided to use a Latina character named “Mia” to remind kids that “science is everywhere.”
“We shouldn’t fear science. We should be excited to explore science,” Acevedo explained. “If students can pick up a book and get excited about science now through someone like Mia, it opens the door for them in the future, they can see they can take any career they’d like.”
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While Acevedo took a big step in her educational career, the first-time author said her priority is in the classroom.
“I’m a teacher first,” Acevedo said. “I’d do anything for my children to get access to things they need, especially diverse literature. Hopefully there’ll be more diverse characters, but for now, I’m starting with Mia.”
