Niyanta Nepal, a senior double concentrating in biomedical engineering and education studies, designed a capstone project that merged her passion for engineering with her deep commitment to social justice.
Her project, “Documenting My Experience at ARISE: Co-Developing Engineering Curriculum Rooted in Social Justice with Youth,” was a collaborative effort with ARISE (the Alliance of Rhode Island Southeast Asians for Education), a nonprofit dedicated to political education and youth empowerment in Providence. For Niyanta, this partnership was both professional and deeply personal. "I've spent many, many years now cultivating and building that relationship," she said. She took on a leadership role within ARISE, facilitating political education for students from diverse backgrounds, particularly Southeast Asian and Black communities.
At the heart of her project was the creation and evaluation of an engineering curriculum infused with social justice principles. Working alongside Professor Diane Silva Pimentel, Niyanta developed lesson plans that integrated equity and activism into STEM education. However, she soon realized a critical gap—she had not yet incorporated direct input from the students themselves.
“I was missing a really, really critical voice, which was the voice of youth,” she acknowledged. In response, she shifted her focus to gathering youth feedback, conducting interviews with ARISE students about a lesson plan from the broader curriculum.
Through these conversations, she discovered that students wanted more engaging, hands-on learning experiences. Middle schoolers suggested exploring local high schools to better understand their own educational environments. Contrary to common assumptions that youth might only offer critiques, Niyanta found that students proposed actionable solutions—a key takeaway from her research.
Another major theme that emerged was the importance of follow-through. Many ARISE students, despite their activism, had never seen their contributions implemented in a tangible way. "They finally felt like the input they were giving was producing something," Niyanta explained.
From her project, Niyanta identified three essential lessons for educators:
- Engage youth perspectives—their insights are constantly evolving.
- Recognize that students don’t just critique; they offer solutions.
- Follow up—show students how their input leads to real change.
Reflecting on the experience, Niyanta credited both Professor Silva Pimentel and the ARISE community for shaping her project. "She helped me think about equity and efficacy in a way that I hadn't conceptualized before," Niyanta said about her work with Professor Silva Pimentel. ARISE, meanwhile, deepened her understanding of how identity influences STEM education.
While she initially hoped to gather input from a larger group of students, Niyanta ultimately conducted in-depth interviews with eight participants—many of whom were typically quieter during group discussions. This experience led her to reconsider how impactful conversations can happen even within small groups.
Her capstone presentation sparked discussions about the broader interdisciplinary potential of integrating social justice into STEM fields. Attendees considered how these concepts could apply beyond engineering—to disciplines like computer science and biology, even those not traditionally viewed as “solution-based.”
“Social justice should be a consideration in all STEM fields,” Niyanta stated.
Looking ahead, she is committed to advocating for youth involvement in STEM curriculum development. “I want to make sure that there's a spot for high school and even younger students at the table to engage in the curriculum," she said. As she moves forward, she hopes to bring this approach to her future classroom, teaching physics through a social justice lens and ensuring that students remain at the center of educational innovation.