We're delighted to announce our second cohort of PLIX Creative STEAM Learning Interns!
In December 2024, PLIX was awarded a Social Impact grant from the MIT Office of Experiential Learning, to create an opportunity for MIT undergraduates to address STEM equity in public library communities and help build authentic connections through co-design and learning.
From October 2025 through May 2026, PLIX interns will juggle their coursework, student life, and their internship to co-design hands-on creative STEAM learning experiences for library communities’ needs and interests. During MIT’s Spring Break, interns will travel across the country to libraries in rural and urban areas, co-facilitate activities, document their work, and, afterwards, share their reflections on the experience.
These MIT undergraduates, passionate about how learning happens, bring their curious and creative minds to support the PLIX community and enhance their own academic experience at MIT. Currently, they are exploring pathways to empower young people to become designers—rather than just players—of games, and along the way, gain a deeper understanding of AI concepts, specifically how large language models and machine learning algorithms work.
Aliyah Villalva
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Minor: Biology (and concentration in Biomedical Devices)
Year: Senior
Fun fact: I've lived in all four corners of the United States.
I'm especially interested in access to STEAM education that emphasizes collaboration and creativity over the 'correct answer', especially for low-income and marginalized communities, as it's something I didn't have access to prior to coming to MIT, and I've found it so important in my educational journey here.
Hailey Harden
Major: Chemical-Biological Engineering
Year: Junior
Fun fact: I spent a month abroad teaching biology to high schoolers in Milan.
I'm passionate about increasing pathways into STEM for students of color, so that representation in science reflects the communities it serves.
From: Texas
Mayu Nakano
Major: Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Minors: Literature and Biomedical Engineering
Year: Junior
Fun Fact: My fun fact is that I am a twin!
I am interested in translating scientific discovery to the public, because I believe that knowledge only fulfills its purpose when it is shared; bridging the gap between research and society empowers people to make informed decisions, inspires the next generation of innovators, and ensures that science serves humanity as a whole.
From: Alabama
Maggie Li
Major: Computer Science and Brain & Cognitive Sciences
Year: Sophomore
Fun Fact: I like to collect playing cards from every city I travel to.
I care about STEAM education because it combines curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking in ways that traditional classrooms often overlook. Growing up, I rarely had access to hands-on, exploratory learning, and I know firsthand how transformative it can be when students are empowered to experiment, collaborate, and see themselves as creators. I’m particularly passionate about making these opportunities accessible to students from underrepresented and low-income backgrounds, so that more young people can build confidence in their abilities and envision themselves as part of the scientific and creative communities shaping our world.
From: New York