Stony Brook University alumna Lillian Best recently returned to her former secondary school, St. Joseph’s Convent St. George in Grenada, to lead an informational session for Grade 9 students on educational and career opportunities in STEM and STEAM fields. Best, who graduated with a degree in biomedical engineering, aimed to introduce students to the range of possibilities within science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.
Best said her upbringing with parents who were educators with STEM backgrounds fostered her early curiosity about the world. “Asking questions, exploring how things worked, and having those conversations encouraged me to think more deeply about the world around me,” she explained. “Once I started learning science in primary school, that curiosity only grew.”
She chose to address Form 3 students because this is when subject specializations are selected in Grenada’s education system—choices that often shape future academic and career paths. “I was also inspired by my experience at the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers’ (SHPE) Pre-College Day in November. Seeing how powerful it was to expose young minds to the possibilities within my field motivated me to bring a similar experience back home,” Best added.
Her presentation connected various career examples with student interests such as computers, gaming, hands-on building, and leadership roles. She encouraged questions throughout the session so students could express their ideas.
Best also shared her personal journey into biomedical engineering and demonstrated a myoelectric claw as an example of biosignal applications in engineering. “This was the moment the room lit up. The students were fascinated by watching the claw respond to their muscle signals and eager to understand how the interface captured and translated those signals,” she said.
The event received positive feedback from both staff and volunteers at the school. Olivia Antoine, a science teacher at SJCSG, commented: “The session on women in STEM was quite a success. The students enjoyed it thoroughly and even showed interest in having another session of a similar nature. I think it renewed interest in science and engineering among many of the girls and gave them a greater perspective on what the field has to offer. Some of them have even decided to pick a career in science because of this presentation. The timing could not have been better as they are quickly approaching the period in which they choose their Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subjects.”
Samuel Williams, a volunteer at SJCSG, said: “The event hosted by Lillian at SJCSG was nothing short of educational and informative. Her presentation included discussing the various career paths available for students in STEAM and even detailed her journey as she transitioned from secondary school to Stony Brook, which I believe is extremely useful for the students, as well as serve as an inspiration for them to show that they can also be in the field of STEAM in the future. Moreover, the interactive session she had with them was very fun, and it was obvious that the students were excited to see one of the many ways that her degree can be applied in the real world to help others.”
Mei Lin (Ete) Chan from Stony Brook University’s Department of Biomedical Engineering noted: “It is amazing to see that Lillian took the initiative to organize this STEAM event for her alma mater in Grenada… It provided them with an early exposure to information about a variety of possible STEM career pathways at a critical time of their career development… Lillian has been an active BME research member in our VIP BEAR team and also a passionate volunteer for our local community outreach events such as Pre-College Day… We are looking forward to seeing the impact she will make going forward.”
Reflecting on her visit’s significance for both herself and current students at SJCSG, Best stated: “Form 3 was the age when I first imagined myself becoming a biomedical engineer… so it felt important to pay that forward… During the event… I could sense a genuine spark of curiosity in STEM that hadn’t been as visible before… I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to empower these young girls and help them imagine themselves pursuing a wide range of STEM pathways in the future.”
