Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Martina Efeyini. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Martina, appreciate you joining us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

Names are tricky. The first name I came up with for my digital platform was Mademoiselle Scientist. I wanted my name to have a pretty feminine flow to it and let people know that I am a scientist who would be writing about sharing my journey as a Black woman in STEM. Creating this digital platform space was my way of self mentoring, sharing stories and lessons I learned throughout my career as a Black woman in STEM. Many of my fellow Black women in STEM know that it can be an isolating or lonely place when you are the first only different (FOD) so I chose to use that to say hey you know what yes us Black women in STEM are out here so I created that space.

Over the years I have changed, grown and am thriving so I decided it was time to make another name change. Mademoiselle Scientist will still be there and I have transitioned my name to The NEXT Scientist which resonates more to who I am now. Yes, I am Mademoiselle Scientist and I am also The NEXT Scientist. The NEXT Scientist represents a fresher digital platform where I can be authentically me unapologetically, I can do all the gifts and talents that God has blessed me with personally and professionally. I want people who find The NEXT Scientist to know that my goal is to make science accessible and to increase STEM diversity. STEM in itself is interdisciplinary and so is my career pathway. All of these names reflect that and I’m so proud of the names I came up with. So if you are a science communicator, scientist or STEM Diversity education advocate out there reading this or a person curious, I want you to know that when you think of these names it is a reminder that you can do STEM as a career if you choose to do so and you can do your STEM your way.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a creative innovator and trailblazer as well as boundary spanner. When I first started my STEM career I limited myself because I was unaware of all the possibilities that STEM provides. When I first started I saw one particular STEM pathway – a research academic only pathway – the common pathways we hear about. After doing many research experiences and seeking out new opportunities I discovered new possibilities.

As I learned more I began to see the diversity of STEM careers. I was not limited anymore. Being the creative person that I am, I decided to create my own STEM pathway. I created Mademoiselle Scientist to share my journey as a Black woman in STEM and my science writing career was born. From there I started writing for various scientific professional societies on topics ranging from career diversity to how we can use social media as a tool to connect science with the public. As I shared my experiences people started to notice and asked me about outreach. I explored what it would mean to do science outreach as a career and there were not a lot options for jobs out there. So I started volunteering, mentoring, tutoring and got a job connecting outreach and education with a little science communication. While doing that I got another offer to write for another professional scientific society as well as several others. This was a good spot to be in and I had to decide what was for me. I feel blessed and grateful to have these options.

Now I see STEM as a tool to do pretty much anything I want. As a STEM professional I get to combine my love of STEM, creativity and innovation in one. I was able to create my own pathway as a science communicator, STEM diversity education advocate and toxicologist. I have a STEM career that follows my Northstar as it aligns with my values, skills and interests. It feels amazing to do the things I enjoy doing and hearing people say I made them realize that they too can do science. When I talk to young people, especially young girls of color they tell me how they are happy they have representation in me with STEM. That makes my work even more worth it because that was my goal. When I do my work I want to make sure that I am making science accessible, engaging and fun. Hearing that throughout my work from the young people and also my peers is refreshing and I am proud of that.

For anyone reading this I want them to know that if you have an idea and you cannot find it, create. Then find the people and connect. Lastly, promote your work, be authentically you, my biggest challenge, but once I did it I was glad I did. My work and my brand is about making science accessible, engaging and fun. I like to work with people who have interests that align with that and also want to create science educational content. If this sounds like you connect with me via email or The Next Scientist.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is to make science accessible, engaging and fun for everyone, especially the next generation of scientists. For a long time my STEM career has been doing things a certain way, the normal way or more traditional expected way. As a scientist who was working in a lab I enjoyed the work I did but I wanted more. I am a person that does not fit in with others and I learned that is ok because that means that I get to do things differently.

My decision to become a science communicator gave me the opportunity to interject creativity into my work. I get to use STEM and creativity everyday to make an impact. Discovering the side of the internet where science blogging was a lightbulb moment because I used to make websites back in the day. Science blogging was a way for me to have a creative outlet and share what it is like being a Black woman in STEM. When I first started out there were little to no science bloggers, let alone ones who looked like me. I knew I had to change that. Now, there are so many science bloggers and science communicators and I am here for it. When I am doing my science communication I think about my mission throughout my work- how can I make it accessible? engaging? fun? Being creative is not easy and it means that I have to take pauses from creativity. By doing that I am doing the best creative work and my audience sees that.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Being a Black woman in STEM is challenging at times. Not because I cannot do the work, but because of the pressure I can put on myself or society puts on me. I have learned that I relinquish that pressure and it does not serve me at all. To do my best work I have to make sure I am my best, which means I am taking care of myself in the best holistic way I possibly can. There was a time in my career where a lot of things were going on in my personal life. I will not get into that, but let’s just say all of the things were going on. Yes, it was so challenging and I mean so challenging. I am so grateful for my support system and the experience because it taught me that I have to take care of me first and foremost in every way to do thrive holistically. That is how I thrive now and continue to thrive.

Sometimes as STEM professionals depending on what you do and how your lifestyle is set up there seems like there is not enough time to do all the things. We have to remember we are people first and we have to make sure that we take care of ourselves. That means saying no to things, releasing FOMO, not saying yes to people volunteering you for things without asking you, having boundaries in the workplace and finding a healthy life work balance that works for you. Going though different hardships and challenges taught me great resilience and that it is necessary to let go of that Black woman superwoman cape because I do not want it at all. I choose a life of peace, calm, happiness, gratitude, love and positivity and enjoyment. I bring that energy wherever I go and that is even in the workplace because I spend a good amount of time working. When I do these things I feel like my best self and I can put my best foot forward in all the things I do. This is important for me and I believe it will help others who are reading this as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thenextscientist.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_next_scientist_/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mefeyini/
• Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/mademoisellesci and https://mobile.twitter.com/mefeyini
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl34DboQzXOSN6ubxAi0V1w
• Other: TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@mademoiselle_scientist