About the Author

Shankia T. Mardenborough is a healthcare and STEM professional, entrepreneur, doctoral scholar, and lifelong learner who believes that exposure can change the trajectory of a young person’s life. Her career journey has taken her through clinical and anatomical pathology, medical technology, regulatory science, epidemiology, clinical research, and clinical project management, including service as a Scientific Reviewer at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  Along the way, she discovered just how many meaningful and often overlooked careers exist within STEM.

 

As President and CEO of STM, LLC, Shankia is passionate about expanding exposure to STEM careers and opportunities, especially for young people from underserved communities. She believes that talent and potential exist everywhere, but exposure and access do not. She wrote Hidden Careers in STEM to introduce young people to possibilities they may have never been exposed to and to help them envision themselves in careers they may have never imagined.

 

At the heart of her work is a simple message: You cannot pursue what you do not know exists. Her hope is that every young person who engages with her work discovers a new possibility, sees themselves differently, and believes, “I can do this, too.”