Serena Seshadri
This month’s installment of our Staff Spotlight series features our Project Designer, Serena Seshadri. In this role, Serena collaborates with other project designers and artists to design projects and teach them at schools. Serena says she works to create learning experiences that prioritize joy, creativity, and curiosity; as well as help youth see their unique life experiences and skills reflected and valued through what they create. Serena has a BS in Chemistry and Education, Inquiry, and Justice from Georgetown University and a PhD in Chemistry from University of California, Santa Barbara(UCSB). Prior to working at Beam, Serena developed engineering and chemistry research projects and worked in elementary schools teaching chemistry through visual art practices.
Serena has been working with Beam Center for over a year now and prior to working at Beam, she developed engineering and chemistry research projects and worked in elementary schools teaching chemistry through visual art practices. When asked why she started working with Beam, Serena says, “I wanted to find something that blended my science background with my art but focusing on education so Beam was perfect for that.” She continues on to say, “I love working in schools because I get to be present with kids in their space when they are most comfortable and if they are not comfortable, I like to create that.” Serena designed many different projects but her two favorites are called Oyster Reefs and Manga Frankenstein Stop Motion. During both of these projects, Serena says she loved watching the kids gain confidence as they were learning new things.
When asked what she thinks is unique about Beam Center, Serena says, “We don’t try to enforce just one type of learning, we advocate for seeing what the kids want to learn and what they bring for it, then kind of molding the projects as they go on to shape that.” She also adds that the projects stem out of the curiosity of what young people want to do and what the Project Designers want to learn about. She continues on to say that young people who come to our office spaces and build projects inspire her. She says, “I love when I get to interact with Project Leaders or kids who have returned from and are just hanging out and making things. That to me is really inspiring watching them develop these skills out of curiosity that may be stimulated in a program we did with them but it was also fostered by connections they made with other people.”
Outside of work Serena is an artist and she paints. As an artist, Serena has experience in oil painting, photography, charcoal, and ink drawing. During our Summer 2022, Serena participated in our Artists in Residence program on Governors Island. While in residence, Serena built upon a series of paintings that she started previously, focusing on large bodies of color and showing them in different forms and positions. This Summer, 2023, Serena will be returning to Governors Island to serve in the role of Project Designer in Beam Center’s GI Summer Program, Beam Camp City! Look out for Serena on Governors Island this Summer!
We are grateful to Serena for the experience and expertise she brings while she is working with youth. Thank you Serena for being part of Beam.
