About STEAM Learning Institute

We help educators create safe spaces in STEAM classrooms where everyone feels they belong through culturally relevant pedagogy, joy, liberatory design and creativity.

Our Mission

At STEAM Learning Institute, we empower educators and students through a transformative approach that integrates culturally-affirming, nature-based, and anti-racist practices into STEAM education and teacher support.

Our Vision

We envision a world where all learners have equitable access to the emergent power and potential of Liberatory STEAM education.

We believe that STEAM, when done well, has the ability to draw out our inner curiosity, be relevant and rigorous, and promote the critical thinking skills that serve children across subject areas and throughout their lives.

Our Values

Nature-Based

We honor all forms of life.

Heart-Centered

We care for our relationships and interdependence.

Science-Based

We investigate and inquire.

Center the margins

We center the experience and voice of all.

Place-Based

We honor Indigenous histories and futures.

Multidimensional

Weteach multiple ways of knowing.

Our Focus

We address four interrelated issues that contribute to the marginalization of diverse educators and their students:

1
Dominance of traditional educational methods
2
Lack of safe, anti-racist spaces for marginalized steam educators
3
Insufficient attention to the benefits of liberatory steam pedagogy
4
Marginalization in STEAM fields

Our Actions

We bring Liberatory STEAM Education from the margins to the mainstream.

See Services
Workshops
We co-design and tailor our workshops to your needs. Our last convening was in Creating Thriving Spaces in STEAM.
On-site/Online Training
We train educators or provide direct services to families, communities, and schools: STEAM training, maker space creation, engineering, and Liberatory design in STEAM are just examples.
Experiential Curriculum
Our curriculum is hands-on, equitable, and co-designed with educators.
Liberatory STEAM education
The goal of the Liberatory Design framework is to show that everyone is a designer, including students in a school, to foster community, inclusion, and belonging.
Educational Fieldtrips
We love authentic learning, and we tailor meaningful field trips to museums, nature, parks, and local communities.
Community
Our community is our source of strength and happiness. We gather information and create resources to meet a variety of needs, making STEAM education equitable for everyone.

Our Team

We are BIWOC (Black, Indigenous, Women of Color) stewards, entrepreneurs, and innovators who reimagine STEAM education for all.

Join our team
Dr. Imène Ghernati
Founder & Executive Director

Imène Ghernati (إيمان غرناطي) is the founder of the STEAM Learning Institute. She has over 30 years of education experience preparing students, teachers, and leaders for diverse classrooms. A former veterinarian and scientist, she has spent the past 15 years in urban education in the Bay Area.

She is also the co-founder of the Summer Academy Program, a partnership between Gateway Schools and the University of San Francisco, where she directed the program for two years and started a Makerspace. Imène is from the Algerian Diaspora and has lived in the Bay area since 2008. She is the proud mother of two multicultural boys.
Dr. Linda Hall
Board Secretary

Raised in Madrid, Linda came to California to attend Veterinary School. She is the current owner of Peninsula Avenue Veterinary Clinic in San Mateo, CA. As our board secretary and science practitioner she has helped shaped the STEAM Learning Institute.

In her clinic, she offers personalized wellness care such as exams, vaccinations, microchips, health certificates. She also treat allergies, skin conditions, ear infections, flea control. The hospital includes a very large surgical suite for orthopedic surgeries such as cruciate tears or fractures as well as soft tissue surgeries.
Lekeshia Hicks
Board Chair

Lekeshia bring 20+ years' experience in HR operations, people analytics, organizational development, scaling people initiatives, adult learning, project management, talent acquisition, and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI). Lekeshia is our unconditional supporter and HR nerd.

She's a strategic, innovative Human Capital expert and Outstanding consultative partner leveraging DEI technology solutions and business acumen with a demonstrated ability to operate on the strategic level. She has a proven track record in enhancing organizational inclusivity and cultural sensitivity across multiple global locations. She's fluent in federal, corporate, and non-profit arenas with industrial focus on barrier analysis, workforce analytics, and qualitative evaluation.
Maybelle Miranda
Program Designer Consultant

Maybelle is a STEAM educator and dedicated steward in equity and empowerment. She models what she teaches, seeing herself as a change agent who bridges youth, human, and community development. Since 2018, she has independently facilitated spaces that drive organizational and community change.

Committed to increasing individual agency for collective impact, Maybelle fosters critical thinking and belonging while partnering with communities to create meaningful change. As a natural connector, she thrives on curiosity and collaboration, always seeking to understand and uplift.

She brings expertise from the University of SF’s “How to Facilitate Racially Just Spaces” course and the Institute of Cultural Affairs’ “Technology of Participation” (TOP). Through all her work, Maybelle drives transformative change and nurtures inclusive environments that empower all voices.

Our Partners and Sponsors

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Our Impact

See IMPACT STORIES
"The training with the STEAM Learning Institute was one of the best experiences that I have had as an educator in a long time. It was well organized, I learned a great deal, and left with enthusiasm as well as something practical that I can do with students. I am greatly looking forward to the next workshop!”

Free Resources

2024-2025 Executive Summary

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Starter Guide

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©  STEAM Learning Institute 2026. | 501(c)(3) founded on Ohlone land in Burlingame, CA