Magdalena Waleska Aldana Segura

Content created by Virtual Intern Radha Varadan

Growing up in Guatemala, Magdalena Waleska Aldana Segura was often the only female in her physics class. She took her love of science and built a successful career as a university professor teaching physics and mentoring students interested in science-related careers.

Through workshops that have been attended by more than 4,000 high school students and 350 professors, she encourages women’s involvement in fields where they are underrepresented. Aldana Segura credits the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) as a driving force behind her recent activism. She took part in the 2017 #HiddenNoMore IVLP project that connected her with nearly 50 like-minded women in STEAM fields. These contacts from her IVLP have helped take her workshops to the next level, allowed her to organize conferences for children, and provided an opportunity to speak at a prestigious STEAM conference in Chicago.

Her involvement in the Guatemalan Women in Science association (GWSA), the Association for American Advancement of Science (AAAS), and her long career as a university professor ensures that Magdalena Waleska Aldana Segura is illuminating the future of STEAM education by empowering one woman at a time.

Content edited by Sallie Bestul, Regina Navarro-Gomez, and Jenna Williams

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