DOREEN BARNETT

Doreen Barnett, 53, is an author, writer, and a voiceover artist for Curtis Books. After honing his passion for writing in 2014, he took the venture seriously and published his first book, Curtis Daycare, which released in 2016. Doreen is also known for adding little twists in his books and has even created onesies and t-shirt designs in tandem with the book, sold separately. As an author, Doreen’s biggest hope is that his readers will enjoy his books and that it will inspire them to read more.

My message is that, as parents, we sometimes feel it’s better to do as we say. Instead of listening or hearing about what difficulties a child might be facing.

I’m promoting my children’s book as well as the onesies and t-shirt accompanied with each book.

I believe my books can contribute to alleviating the worries our children are facing. (For example, one of my books deals with teaching healthy eating habits to children.)

Besides writing and coming up with the ideas for my books, my son Curtis has been a big help. He reads the stories I present and lets me know it’s good to go.

I want our children to be comfortable when they are going to the doctor’s office. When they go to the supermarket, I want to inspire them to explore the fruit and vegetable section instead of the snacks aisle for unhealthy snacks.

I have another children’s book coming out, and there is a linen bed sheet design that will match the cover of the book.

Our children are little people who need direction. And feeling scared is not great. Much like when Curtis goes to the doctor’s office, giving a child heads-up about what to expect can relieve any fear they may have.

It’s my hope that consumers will show this book to their children, and that the child will get a better understanding; that they won’t panic at all.

In the future, I want to own a little library where kids and feel safe and read as much as they like.

@doreen.barnett

@AvaTheSTEMPrincess @AvaTheSTEMPrincess

Nine-year-old Kidpreneur and Global S.T.E.M. Ambassador, Ava the S.T.E.M. Princess®, has the methodical world of S.T.E.M. at her feet, and she is just getting started. Hailing from Durham, North Carolina, Ava found her love of the field through learning about her visual learning style, which helped make day-to-day activities easier to understand, while promoting fun and engaging learning. “Cooking food is Science, riding in a car is Engineering and Technology, and playing video games is Technology and Math,” Ava expresses. Through S.T.E.M., one can easily link the scientific fields with visual activities to improve reading and math literacy. When she was in first grade, Ava began having problems with her schoolwork, taking a longer time to comprehend material and provide answers in the classroom. Because of this, her teachers mistook her personal learning process as her not paying attention in class, and some of her classmates teased her for it. Sad and discouraged, Ava’s mom and one of her biggest motivators, assured the Kidpreneur of her genius talent and suggested she improve her learning abilities through performing hands-on activities in S.T.E.M. Owing to her love of YouTube, her mom recommended finding kid friendly S.T.E.M. experiment videos Ava could redesign to strengthen her skills and confidence. With the support of her family, Ava would then write her own scripts, film the completed experiments, and post it to her own personal YouTube channel to inspire other visual learners like herself. In June 2020, Ava’s first experiment was making an at-home hand sanitizer for her grandmother, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, beginning the Team Genius Squad, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization to help others, like Ava, overcome personal and educational challenges through the field of S.T.E.M by unlocking their inner genius to pursue their goals. Soon, Ava’s videos became an online success, garnering public attention from all over the world, inspiring kids like her, with features on CBS News, Fox, and NBC. “I felt happy and proud that people were interested in viewing my S.T.E.M. experiments even though I wasn’t the best reader,” the third grade Kidpreneur gushes. “They connected with me visually and were able to understand the information that I was sharing.” It confirmed that there is a place for everyone to be impactful and make their mark on the world no matter their challenges. Some of Ava’s biggest inspirations include her mom, her big sister, and her grandmother, because of their S.T.E.M. Leadership and the positive impacts they continue to make on Ava and the world around them. Ava also finds optimism and encouragement through the loads of fan mail she receives from kids and their parents, curious about starting their own impactful journey as a Kidpreneur or Global S.T.E.M Ambassador. Their kind and uplifting words serve as a motivational reminder to Ava about her perseverance, despite the negative interactions she encountered throughout her journey to believing in herself and her unique abilities. The Kidpreneur has many hopes for herself and in her artistry of S.T.E.M in the future. She aspires to reach millions of individuals to globally increase awareness in S.T.E.M, through the performance of fun-based educational activities to demonstrate its importance and impact on our everyday lives. Ava also dreams of one-day collaborating with American Engineer and former NASA astronaut, Dr. Mae Jemison, whom she admires as one of her role models, so much so, Ava dedicated a Black History Month video to her communal influences in S.T.E.M. Like Jemison, Ava, too, wants to use her influence to ensure those like her, to remember that they are intelligent, talented, creative, and innovative. She envisions individuals actively engaging in S.T.E.M. activities, identifying their inner Genius and making their unique imprint on the world. As a plan to expand her personal brand and the Team Genius Squad, Ava continues to educate global audiences through performing DIY experiments and developing S.T.E.M. inspired products such as apparel, jewelry, vegan lip gloss, lab coats, and lab kits. The third- grader also strives to expand her global reach through impactful brand collaborations with large retail outlets such as Target, Kohl’s, and Walmart; additionally, she wants to expand her brand into the footwear space. In November, Ava will be posting new, engaging experiments and entrepreneurial videos to her YouTube channel, with the launch of her new eCommerce website, and collaboration with educational and apparel brands.

My name is Ava, also known as Ava the S.T.E.M. Princess®. I am 9 years old, A Global S.T.E.M. Ambassador, Influencer, Entrepreneur, and the creator of Team Genius Squad Brand. Team Genius Squad is a movement and an inspiring brand created to promote Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (S.T.E.M.) awareness and its positive impact on reading and math literacy. Like many children, I experienced academic challenges in school, specifically reading and standardized testing. Due to this I began to be singled out to my peers and teachers as a “poor performer.” I would be teased a lot and it begin to affect me socially and mentally because I felt like I did not fit in, and I was not smart enough to succeed. I shared my feelings with my parents, and we begin to identify the best learning methods for me that would help me be successful. This led to S.T.E.M. experiment videos, the first being a COVID-19 inspired YouTube video on how to properly make hand sanitizer for my grandmother. The continued production of these type of videos led to an improvement in my academics and mood and help me identify that I am a visual learner. The S.T.E.M. based videos combined fun and creativity with learning for me while helping to incorporate thousands and thousands of other children along the way through YouTube viewership. Now Team Genius Squad is more than about me and my story; it is about the talented and unique group of people who do not necessarily, like me, “fit the mold” but are visionaries, innovators, creators, and next generation entrepreneurs.

The ability to encourage and collaborate with others and knowing that inspiration has no age limit inspires me. It reminds me of what is most important and impactful in the world today, not who is the smartest but how resourceful and successful we can be when we help, support, and uplift one another. My goal is to encourage the masses to always remember to believe in themselves, identify their inner genius and pursue their goals no matter their challenges.

My short-term goals are to grow my S.T.E.M.-inspired products portfolio and sales global reach and conduct more community S.T.E.M. experiment events. My long-term goals are to sow encouragement into two million households globally, collaborate with large brands such as Target, Walmart, Kohls and to officially launch my state-of-the-art Mobile S.T.E.M. Truck on wheels to the public.

I am currently promoting my S.T.E.M.-inspired product line that I designed which includes jewelry, lab coats, Vegan Genius Lip Gloss and much more. I am also promoting the transformation of my current Mobile S.T.E.M. Lab from an ondemand build exhibit to an actual Mobile S.T.E.M. Laboratory on wheels. Currently I transport my S.T.E.M. Lab equipment and unload at community events. During these community events I conduct S.T.E.M. experiments with the public and giveaway free lab coats, goggles, and Certified Genius Badges. With my newest project I will transform a used ice cream truck, school bus or food truck into a modern day state-of-the-art Mobile S.T.E.M. Laboratory on wheels. This Mobile S.T.E.M. Laboratory on wheels will drive up to a location set-up like a food truck and allow the public to walk up to the truck and conduct experiments with Ava the S.T.E.M. Princess®, watch S.T.E.M. videos, receive laboratory giveaways and sweet treats.

I balance my career and childhood by incorporating my career into my childhood. I wear my brand every day, my social media posts are about my day-to-day life, I market to my age group and their parents, I collaborate with brands that blend well with my day-to-day activities, and I ensure to have fun and learn something new in everything that I do.

I believe the impact I can make on the world at my age is to share my story and how I overcame my challenges. When people here my story I feel like they can relate to me. Either they themselves, or someone they know may have experienced a similar challenge, and it was encouragement and support that helped them through or could have helped them through. Due to this my story encourages others to persevere and to keep pushing through their challenges by focusing on their talents and identifying their inner genius.

I want my legacy to be Ava the S.T.E.M. Princess® the young inspirational global S.T.E.M. trailblazer and entrepreneur who made a difference and positively impacted the world one S.T.E.M. activity at a time!

The message I am hoping to get across to supporters and new fans is that Team Genius Squad is a platform that demonstrates the importance of identifying your inner genius. That your inner genius cannot be defined only by a conventional curriculum, but by what deeply encourages you and allows you to be an inspiration to others. Your talents and your gifts are your true genius and the foundation of your greatness. My journey and Team Genius Squad’s mission focuses on encouragement and unleashing of talents that bring everyone’s gifts to the forefront as visionaries, innovators, creators, entrepreneurs, and all-around dynamic individuals.

In the near future people can expect new S.T.E.M.-inspired product designs, greater S.T.E.M. videos and community activities, brand collaborations and electronic sketch designs for our new Mobile S.T.E.M. Lab.

If you would like to encourage someone with a free Young Change Makers book that I was featured in click the following link https://shop.teamgeniussquad.com/ products/free-gift-autographed-book?variant=40867550036158 and use the code: encourage at checkout and I will send you a book with my feature autographed by me! The Young Change Makers book features kid entrepreneurs around the world that have developed impactful organizations.