How Women Are Breaking Into STEM and the Skilled Trades w/ Destiny Simone Adams
Women in STEM are rising. Meet Destiny Simone Adams, a TikTok STEM creator breaking barriers in robotics competitions and Skilled Trades education.
Host Andrew Brown talks with Destiny Simone Adams, a STEM content creator and advocate for Black Girls Who Code, about competing in all-male robotics competitions, building her personal brand on TikTok, and creating inclusive paths in the Skilled Trades for the next generation. From her early start at age 7 to teaching over 1,000 girls to code, Destiny shares how STEM education for girls can unlock careers in construction, HVAC, carpentry, and beyond. This episode brings raw inspiration, real advice, and powerful insights into crafting your own career path, whether you're 17 or 37.
IN THIS EPISODE:
● (00:02:00) – Breaking into robotics competitions as the only girl competitor
● (00:08:30) – How Black Girls Who Code shaped Destiny’s path in women in STEM
● (00:14:15) – Starting the first all-girls robotics team in South Fulton
● (00:22:00) – Fusing tech + art through wearable electronics and problem-solving
● (00:31:45) – Building a personal brand for STEM education for girls on TikTok
● (00:44:00) – Advice for young tradespeople entering the Trades Industry
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
● Women in STEM need visibility—and Destiny became that example in national robotics competitions.
● STEM education for girls is essential to diversify and grow the future Skilled Trades workforce.
● Personal branding and authenticity on TikTok can drive awareness and opportunity in the Trades Industry.
● Teaching trades-related STEM topics (like mechatronics, electronics, and wearable tech) can bridge gaps in education, craftsmanship, and representation.
ABOUT THE GUEST:
Destiny Simone Adams (aka @IOTLab616) is a TikTok STEM creator, engineer, artist, and educator. A longtime advocate for STEM education for girls, Destiny is affiliated with organizations like Black Girls Who Code, Women in Technology, and the Skilled Trades Advisory Council. She’s taught over 1,000 girls to code, built viral robotic projects, and uses social media to highlight opportunities in the Skilled Trades, including paths in construction, plumbing, electricians, and carpentry. Destiny is passionate about mentorship, community leadership, and reshaping what the next generation of tradespeople can look like.
KEYWORDS:
Women in STEM, Robotics Competition, STEM Education for Girls, Black Girls Who Code, Skilled Trades Podcast, Skilled Trades, Trades Industry, Andrew Brown, Destiny Adams, Destiny Simone Adams, Toolfetch, Carpentry, HVAC, Electricians, Plumbers, Millwrights, Construction, Tradespeople, Craftsmanship, Advocacy, Contractors, Industry Experts, Skilled Trades Advisory Council, Education, Problem-solving, Creativity
RESOURCES:
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@iotlab616
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/destinyadamsinternational/?hl=en
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Transcript
I competed last year in a competition.
Speaker:All boys.
Speaker:I was the only girl.
Speaker:So it was the experience I didn't place this year, but that didn't discourage me.
Speaker:I still got scholarship money though.
Speaker:It was still just breaking that, that, that stigma of
Speaker:like, women aren't in robotics.
Speaker:Like I didn't place, but I was the only woman up there, the only
Speaker:black woman up there competing in a robotics competition here in Atlanta.
Speaker:I feel like that was a win in itself.
Speaker:The fact that I can take that home and go be inspiring or be an inspirational or
Speaker:a representation to the next person out there, next young black girl who thinks
Speaker:she just wants to do STEM to some degree.
Speaker:Well, I was here.
Speaker:I had the example for you, so.
Speaker:Why do you feel like you can't do it?
Speaker:Hi, I'm Andrew Brown.
Speaker:You're listening to the Lost Star of the Skilled Trades Podcast, a show that
Speaker:shines the spotlight on careers in the skilled trades that are high paying,
Speaker:honorable, rewarding, and fulfilling.
Speaker:The trades are the backbone of the economy that keep us running.
Speaker:And without them, our world would cease to exist.
Speaker:All right, I'm sitting here with Destiny Adams, here at Skills USA, and I'm
Speaker:super excited to have you on the show.
Speaker:How are you doing so far this week with everything going on?
Speaker:Well, thank you so much for having me.
Speaker:I'm feeling great.
Speaker:I just had a birthday, so this is a gift to be here right
Speaker:now, so thank you so much.
Speaker:I'm super excited.
Speaker:Happy belated birthday.
Speaker:Thank you.
Speaker:Share with us a little bit about sort of your background in computer science.
Speaker:I have questions for you because I originally was a computer science
Speaker:major, so I'm gonna probably geek out a little bit with you.
Speaker:Yeah, that's fine.
Speaker:But tell us a little bit about your background and sort of
Speaker:what you focus on grade-wise.
Speaker:So my name is Destiny Simone Adams.
Speaker:I go by IOTLab616 on TikTok.
Speaker:That's where most people can find me.
Speaker:STEM TikTok creator, and yeah, you're right.
Speaker:My overall thing is stem.
Speaker:I started out in computer science, but I ended up graduating this past
Speaker:May, interdisciplinary studies with a concentration in arts and sciences.
Speaker:So I am an artist and an engineer, but when it comes to stem, I
Speaker:am very interested in robotics, mechatronics, and just all.
Speaker:All, all things related towards electronics.
Speaker:So it kind of just began with this, having that exposure.
Speaker:At the age of seven years old, that's when I became really involved with
Speaker:just wanting to innovate, create things, didn't care what it was.
Speaker:I'll break it, I'll fix it.
Speaker:If I didn't fix it, I'll figure out how to do it.
Speaker:And so my mom and dad kind of just let me have that energy,
Speaker:just let me play with things.
Speaker:Let me try to figure it out.
Speaker:And then she was like, you know what?
Speaker:You're actually pretty good at this.
Speaker:And then I found out about.
Speaker:Black Girls Code in 2012.
Speaker:And that was the very first event where I learned how to pick up any type of
Speaker:technical skills when it came to coding.
Speaker:And I remember making a website and I just thought it was the coolest thing ever.
Speaker:Wow.
Speaker:And from that moment, I was absolutely hooked.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:And it's interesting and you, it's amazing that you found your passion at seven.
Speaker:Like, I don't know what I was even doing at seven.
Speaker:I was like playing with blocks or something.
Speaker:No, I remember so vividly.
Speaker:Seven years old.
Speaker:'cause at the same time I learned how to crochet as well.
Speaker:So I was crocheting, I was knitting and I was making lanyards and learning
Speaker:how to code all at the same time.
Speaker:So it was a blessing to just be so like, uh, open minded
Speaker:and willing to try new things.
Speaker:Where do you think that that comes from?
Speaker:Sort of, you know, 'cause a lot of seven year olds probably not.
Speaker:Had that sort of like feeling of knowing what they wanna do or even passionate,
Speaker:where do you think that comes from?
Speaker:Is that.
Speaker:Um, anybody in your family?
Speaker:Anybody?
Speaker:I think it's normal.
Speaker:I don't wanna have this notion like I just had it all figured out.
Speaker:'cause I feel like no one does and especially life is gonna challenge
Speaker:you as you start to get older, to test you, to make sure you know that
Speaker:you don't have it all figured out.
Speaker:But I was willing, like I feel like everyone has to have that spark
Speaker:of willingness to be open-minded even if you don't like it.
Speaker:It's been a, a lot of activities where I've tried it and
Speaker:I'm be like, you know what?
Speaker:It is not for me, but I see why people enjoy it.
Speaker:It is just that drive to want to have passion, that drive to wanna learn more.
Speaker:I'm yearning constantly to learn new things, to understand how to piece
Speaker:things together, problem solve.
Speaker:So I would just encourage people to really find that drive to just explore.
Speaker:Explore, try things, fail at it.
Speaker:Fail is just meaning first attempt in learning.
Speaker:So that's a beautiful acronym to just keep in the back of your mind, like even if
Speaker:you don't succeed, it's not about that.
Speaker:And that's hard because mindset is really difficult, especially this learning that.
Speaker:And even though if you, if failure's out there, obviously whatever you go into, but
Speaker:you have that mindset, how do you keep, keep positive, like positive mindset?
Speaker:Ooh.
Speaker:I think the, as I get older, I think I've definitely been strengthening my mindset.
Speaker:It takes a lot of faith and just believing that things are gonna work out, trying
Speaker:to wrap my mind about how things are gonna work out, or even when I get stuck
Speaker:in technical issues of trying to force it and figure it out and make it work.
Speaker:It just doesn't, you have to kind of like walk away a little bit, take a break, take
Speaker:a breather, lean on your support system.
Speaker:It's good to have those like-minded people around you that can just like,
Speaker:Hey, just take a pause, take a breather, and like, you know, calm you down
Speaker:so that when it's time to redo it or try again, you have it this time and
Speaker:you'll see that it flows much simpler.
Speaker:Once you just remove that, that pressure from just trying to figure it out or
Speaker:trying to make it work, just relax.
Speaker:Yeah, not a lot of people can do that.
Speaker:I think it took me 20 years to figure that.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:And to find those healthy coping mechanisms that actually work.
Speaker:'cause you'll hear things out in society.
Speaker:You'll hear, meditate and pray and yoga.
Speaker:But what works for one person doesn't work for the next person.
Speaker:So you have to find what works for you.
Speaker:Whether it's just going for a walk, whether, whether it's
Speaker:taking a nap, taking a shower.
Speaker:Like sometimes it's just the small things.
Speaker:You just have to find what works for you.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:You know, it's interesting 'cause we were talking about, um.
Speaker:I was gonna nerd out for a quick second about programming, and it's interesting.
Speaker:I started sort of in college as a programmer at doing c plus plus.
Speaker:Doing advanced calculus, and I could tell you that I was lost the entire time.
Speaker:I remember sitting in the lab on Saturday, everybody's typing away.
Speaker:It's two o'clock.
Speaker:I'm sitting there like, what am, what am I doing here?
Speaker:Where I start?
Speaker:What am I even doing here?
Speaker:And I'm like, advanced.
Speaker:I, I, I'm in the wrong path.
Speaker:I thought I wanted to be there because I walked, I remember in
Speaker:school I walked into the wrong room and they were teaching programming.
Speaker:I just happened to walk and like, oh, that sounds cool.
Speaker:I spent the next year or two trying to figure this out and
Speaker:it was the wrong direction.
Speaker:Went into business administration, minor in finance, and then I went into it,
Speaker:and then I went into, uh, selling tools and equipment for the skilled trades.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:The people in the trade.
Speaker:So I, so it's a bunch of pivots and transitions that you're making in
Speaker:trying to learn and you realize, okay, I'm failing, but not really.
Speaker:I'm just trying to learn how to pivot into the direction that's comfortable
Speaker:for me so that, you know, it makes sense.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:It's, it's not easy to sort of find your, your passion and that's why I
Speaker:switched majors three times in college.
Speaker:Like people would, would be so surprised.
Speaker:'cause like you knew, you had it all figured out, you knew what you liked
Speaker:at seven, but why did you go through this process of switching so much?
Speaker:Because honestly, truthfully, I never went to college.
Speaker:I wanted to keep, I was, well, I graduated at 16 from high school.
Speaker:I told my mom I wanted to.
Speaker:Started this business teaching girls how to code.
Speaker:I was already doing it, public speaking, engagement, writing a book.
Speaker:So I had these desires.
Speaker:I did not wanna go to university.
Speaker:My mom, she was kind of like, well, you've accumulated all the scholarship
Speaker:money from just, you know, just being active and being academically
Speaker:like, you know, trying and stuff.
Speaker:So you should take advantage of it.
Speaker:That's a real resources that not a lot of people have, uh, a opportunity to do.
Speaker:So.
Speaker:I enrolled into college computer science and I was like, uh,
Speaker:I really don't wanna do this.
Speaker:I feel like I'm wasting my time.
Speaker:The curriculum isn't there.
Speaker:I don't get a chance to be impactful with the students.
Speaker:Like, how many years were you doing this?
Speaker:Was this like, before I started college, I was doing teaching girls from.
Speaker:14 to 16, how to code?
Speaker:I was called Destiny Adams International.
Speaker:I would set up coding workshops, tutorials, YouTube videos.
Speaker:I would go out, um, I had sponsorships from like T-Mobile, so they would
Speaker:send me like swag, gifts and I would do like these workshops and stuff.
Speaker:So I wanted to keep that going.
Speaker:I didn't wanna go to college, but like I said, I had scholarship money.
Speaker:I chose this route.
Speaker:It was for security that, that level of stability that people kept reminding
Speaker:me about, about the workforce and how things were gonna change in the future.
Speaker:So I took that leap and I was like, I'm just gonna do it.
Speaker:And that, that, that one decision ended up turning into a whole
Speaker:five year journey for me.
Speaker:I just finished college in May.
Speaker:In May, yes.
Speaker:And I just had a birthday.
Speaker:So it's kinda like I, I spent a lot of time going through a lot
Speaker:of d different transformation.
Speaker:I went from computer science, computer information system,
Speaker:now interdisciplinary studies.
Speaker:Which is a combination of literally all of those disciplines, and it makes a lot
Speaker:of sense for me, like going through those transformations and deciding that I was
Speaker:never just supposed to be in one box.
Speaker:I don't like to limit myself to one box.
Speaker:I thought that I was supposed to just be a computer scientist,
Speaker:but I have other plans.
Speaker:I have other passions.
Speaker:I have.
Speaker:I have other intents.
Speaker:I'm very intentful with my skills, my resources, and my talents.
Speaker:And if it's meant for me to do all of them in a way that's integrating
Speaker:them, I'm gonna find a way to do that.
Speaker:So that's why I'm like, I don't ever just say I'm just the
Speaker:artist or I'm just an engineer.
Speaker:'cause I'm both of those things.
Speaker:I use different, I do use different mediums to make art.
Speaker:Well, what do you, what lights you up?
Speaker:Is it, is it the coding aspect?
Speaker:What, what portion of it really lights you up?
Speaker:It's the integration and trying to combine multiple disciplines, like
Speaker:even down to wearable technology.
Speaker:So like, that's a great example of how I combine, um, technology and art.
Speaker:I'll crochet something or I can sew something and then I can use like little
Speaker:microcontrollers, LEDs and I can make it light up or like something like that.
Speaker:So to me, that's fashion, that's swag, but that's also intellect.
Speaker:That's problem solving.
Speaker:That's critical thinking.
Speaker:That's those soft skills that you kind of need.
Speaker:In order to just be successful.
Speaker:And so I get an opportunity to literally break down all those barriers and go
Speaker:through the process for all of that.
Speaker:And so it's really the process behind it.
Speaker:You said something about CFL Plus, and I'm just thinking about the
Speaker:robotic arm that I brought in today.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:And just.
Speaker:That experience alone, how I competed last year in a competition, all boys.
Speaker:I was the only girl.
Speaker:Wow.
Speaker:The only girl.
Speaker:Really?
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Did you, did you place last year?
Speaker:No, I didn't Place didn't place?
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:I didn't place.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:But it was just the experience that It was, it was very intense.
Speaker:It was intense.
Speaker:So it was the experience I didn't place this year, but that didn't discourage me.
Speaker:I still got scholarship money though, for my efforts and, um, I learned a lot.
Speaker:I still went out and I got on TikTok.
Speaker:I was.
Speaker:Promoting and teaching people how to use the tools and how to,
Speaker:how to even use this technology.
Speaker:'cause like, yeah, I went to go compete and you know, potentially
Speaker:place and win, but it was still just breaking that, that, that stigma
Speaker:of like, women aren't in robotics.
Speaker:Like I didn't place but I was the only woman up there, the only
Speaker:black woman up there competing in a robotics competition here in
Speaker:Atlanta, you don't hear that often.
Speaker:So I feel like that was a win in itself.
Speaker:The fact that I can take that home and go be inspiring or be an inspirational
Speaker:or representation to the next person out there, next young black girl who thinks
Speaker:she just wants to do STEM to some degree.
Speaker:Well, I was here.
Speaker:I had that example for you.
Speaker:So why do you feel like you can't do it?
Speaker:That's what I love, is that you're showcasing even
Speaker:though that you didn't place.
Speaker:You probably got comfortable with being uncomfortable, meaning, right?
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:But someone follows your journey who says, you know what, she can do it.
Speaker:I can do it.
Speaker:And I love that.
Speaker:And you're showcasing, and I was being honest, being transparent,
Speaker:going on TikTok, saying like, Hey guys, I'm having this.
Speaker:I'm at this competition.
Speaker:I'm really uncomfortable right now.
Speaker:Yeah, I'm really scared.
Speaker:And then I could check back an hour later I got 50 comments like, you got this.
Speaker:Like, I know you're scared, but it's okay.
Speaker:Even if you don't place, we're here supporting you.
Speaker:So that level of.
Speaker:Support and that level of community, that level of support that I felt like
Speaker:I created in a sense of community, but also I feel like I wanna repay that.
Speaker:So I'm, I'm here to create that environment for other black girls, other,
Speaker:other girls, period who just need a place to feel safe and comfortable in a place
Speaker:like stem, like STEM environments where it can be so rigorous, it can be so.
Speaker:High expectations.
Speaker:So results driven in a place where it is just, you just need to innovate.
Speaker:You just wanna create, you just wanna be, you just wanna have room
Speaker:to make mistakes and room to fail.
Speaker:I mean, that's being authentic, right?
Speaker:You putting it out there on TikTok about being authentic and about, I'm scared.
Speaker:People can relate, they can relate to that.
Speaker:If, if you're perfect a hundred percent, like no one's gonna believe
Speaker:that, no one's gonna believe that.
Speaker:Or even when I, I post about my failures all the time.
Speaker:Hey, I didn't get that scholarship I told y'all to go apply for.
Speaker:I didn't get that, that, that internship that I told y'all to go apply for.
Speaker:But I put it out there just in case.
Speaker:'cause I'm never one to be the one who hoarders resource if I
Speaker:have any knowledge or information.
Speaker:I'm sharing it because it was a line of people who did that
Speaker:for me as I was growing up.
Speaker:Like I said, black girls who code women in technology, girls who code.
Speaker:I was a part of a lot of organizations and communities and programs out there who
Speaker:supported me, who got me to this point.
Speaker:They probably don't even know I've graduated at this point, but I remember
Speaker:them 'cause they were there a part of literally every single step of the way,
Speaker:every journey, every time I changed my mind and thought that STEM wasn't
Speaker:for me, you had somebody in my corner.
Speaker:You had that one person, that one mentor advisor who's like, no, it's for you.
Speaker:And if you have second thoughts about it, let me remind you why you shouldn't.
Speaker:So it's like if I had those people in my life, I need to be that to somebody.
Speaker:So that's why I had that mission to train over a thousand girls to STEM
Speaker:or the opportunities in computer science back in 2018, and I did that.
Speaker:So now it's like continue to have that drive to move forward.
Speaker:But now just expanding.
Speaker:I'm just trying to figure out, well, what's next?
Speaker:How do I want that to look?
Speaker:Do I wanna be more curriculum driven?
Speaker:Do I wanna develop a curriculum where I can have a STEM academy
Speaker:and train these girls on a bigger level on online and in person?
Speaker:Or do I wanna go back to school, become a professor?
Speaker:Like what does that really look like in terms of impact?
Speaker:But I know no matter what I wanna keep.
Speaker:Being that source of education, that source of resource, that source of
Speaker:community leadership to some degree.
Speaker:'cause it's like I understand what it feels like to be like needing support,
Speaker:needing a push, just needing a little bit more motivation, just not to give up.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:So who is the one, if you could think of the one person that really
Speaker:kind of helped you in your path, and you said multiple people.
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:But is there one person who really changed the game for you that that comes to mind?
Speaker:Immediately it's my mom.
Speaker:Oh.
Speaker:Like, like I would say immediately, like I said, it was a point I
Speaker:didn't even wanna go to college.
Speaker:And it wasn't like, oh, you have to go to college.
Speaker:But she kind of broke it down to make it make sense.
Speaker:Like long term.
Speaker:Like if I'm thinking now, like even if I wasn't to go to college,
Speaker:who would I lean on for support?
Speaker:It would've still been my mom.
Speaker:So anytime mentally, I'm having a bad day, I know I can call her, she
Speaker:will remind me of the things, the experiences that I've already done,
Speaker:the things I've already accomplished.
Speaker:Or you know, the things that like life is just gonna happen.
Speaker:So it's good to have somebody in your corner like, yeah, she
Speaker:birthed me, that's my mother.
Speaker:But she's also also gonna keep it very honest, very real with me all the time.
Speaker:She's been through things that I haven't yet.
Speaker:So just to have someone who I know can just kind of share that journey
Speaker:along with me, it means a lot.
Speaker:So it is a good feeling to have the support of a parent?
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:That is not always the case in the trades.
Speaker:And someone says, well, I want to do plumbing, I wanna do welding.
Speaker:And some parents say, no, no, no, no, no.
Speaker:I don't think you should do that.
Speaker:I think you should go to college.
Speaker:And maybe that's, that's not the right path for them.
Speaker:So it was great that you have that person in your corner.
Speaker:It really kind of helps you and it's your support.
Speaker:And then, like I said, professionally, it's, it's always someone in the room,
Speaker:in the space, whether it's at school, I have a scholarship mentor somewhere.
Speaker:I have an academic advisor somewhere.
Speaker:I have a.
Speaker:Mental health mentor just in case.
Speaker:So you always have to find somewhere in your life, in your
Speaker:circle that you can lean on.
Speaker:That's pivotal.
Speaker:No matter.
Speaker:No matter what aspect of life, whether it's professional life, career, personal,
Speaker:whatever it is, you need to have your support system and you need to have
Speaker:somebody for something, for everything.
Speaker:Like that's just how it works.
Speaker:Even, even with some of the happiest people or the some of the most.
Speaker:Mentally healthy people still need somebody to talk to and
Speaker:still need somebody to lean on.
Speaker:So of course it's all about relationship.
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:Going back to the now, that was all girls robotics team.
Speaker:Was that or was that separate?
Speaker:Yeah, well that was kind of tied into it.
Speaker:Um, that was, I was talking about Girls Who Code and Women in Technology.
Speaker:The all Girls robotics team came after I took the, uh, workshop
Speaker:and I realized I was into stem.
Speaker:Then I kind of went out and was like, okay, well I wanna join the robotics team.
Speaker:My mom and I, we were doing some research in, lo and behold, there were
Speaker:no robotics team in South Fulton in 2014, and we were standing Fairburn.
Speaker:So for those who aren't from Atlanta, Fairburn is literally probably
Speaker:20, 30 minutes outside of it.
Speaker:The city of Atlanta.
Speaker:So for there to be no robotics team says a lot about the, the atmosphere
Speaker:of the STEM community, specifically robotics, uh, back in that age.
Speaker:So, um, at the time we went to Girl Scouts.
Speaker:My mom and I, we wrote, uh, a letter and was just like, Hey, we're interested
Speaker:in starting the, one of the first all girls robotics team here in Atlanta.
Speaker:And it was like.
Speaker:Sure.
Speaker:Well, you need a team of at least four or five girls and we'll offer
Speaker:you a grant and then we'll have the Boy Scouts collaborate, build
Speaker:you guys your robotics table.
Speaker:Wow.
Speaker:And we'll send you all the equipment so that you can compete.
Speaker:And we were just like.
Speaker:Were you shocked?
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:You must have been shocked.
Speaker:Yeah, I was really young, so my mom, she was more excited and more like, okay,
Speaker:well this is really happening at the time.
Speaker:She's a mother, she's still working a full-time job.
Speaker:She's like, she was an accountant at the time, so still trying to make means,
Speaker:and still just, you know, do the things to make sure her kid is successful.
Speaker:And so then the hunt became to look for other girls who were interested in
Speaker:robotics in 2014, other than myself.
Speaker:And so I went to school the next day, or like over the course of days.
Speaker:Was just telling people about it and you kind of get those like,
Speaker:oh, it sounds good, but we're kids.
Speaker:You gotta get permission from parents.
Speaker:So then that took my mom extra work, reaching out to other
Speaker:parents at the girls tax community.
Speaker:So getting that legwork, explaining to them the, the importance of why this is
Speaker:so pivotal for them, or why they should definitely, you know, looking to it.
Speaker:And so finally we were able to get at least four girls and
Speaker:I think we were caught, uh.
Speaker:The techniques.
Speaker:The techniques, okay.
Speaker:Yes, the techniques.
Speaker:And then I was a part of another robotics group called Robo Chicks,
Speaker:and so we spent a whole, like semester after class, we'll be coming to meet
Speaker:at my house for a robotics practice.
Speaker:We'll go meet up at other people's houses for robotics practice.
Speaker:I was the lead programmer.
Speaker:We had everybody who had their own little rose.
Speaker:What is the coolest robotic story that you have?
Speaker:I would say this, um, well this, not a robot, it's more like a algorithm.
Speaker:It's a open cv, um, yarn detector.
Speaker:So I, it helps me keep a collection of how much yarn I buy, how much I
Speaker:spend on yarn, how much like I'll use it, and then I need to put it
Speaker:back so it helps me stay organized.
Speaker:That was probably the most popular video I ever posted on TikTok as well.
Speaker:It probably got a hundred thousand views.
Speaker:Everybody wants the source code for it.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:And, um, or collaboration pro process of how I did it.
Speaker:And like I said, on my TikTok, I posted tutorials and longer format videos.
Speaker:So that was definitely the coolest.
Speaker:And then, um, after that I took off my door handle on my door in my room.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:And I replaced it with a, um, a digital one.
Speaker:Nice so that I can lock my door to keypad.
Speaker:And that was cool.
Speaker:I made that with an Arduino.
Speaker:Um, and I Is your mom okay with that?
Speaker:That you put a, a different Yeah.
Speaker:She had to be, she wasn't, like I said, since I was seven,
Speaker:she understood that I'll break things and put it back together.
Speaker:So when I moved out, I took it off and I put the door, old door handle back
Speaker:on so I could take my digital with me.
Speaker:Very funny, very funny.
Speaker:But that was definitely my favorite project.
Speaker:Anytime I just get to teach people how to use the technologies,
Speaker:that's always a fun time.
Speaker:It's like opening the door up to things they never discovered or seen.
Speaker:Like the simplest thing is like 3D printing.
Speaker:How I think that's so simple to me.
Speaker:Or spin around for ages and you show one person how to do it, they're
Speaker:hooked and that's all it takes for me.
Speaker:I'm excited that you love it.
Speaker:Yeah, it's intoxicating.
Speaker:Especially someone who, who really likes it.
Speaker:Um, I wanna go back to what you were talking about, about
Speaker:teaching thousands of, of kids.
Speaker:Um.
Speaker:That was mostly the programming aspect that you were teaching.
Speaker:What was the, the feeling on that?
Speaker:Because obviously people, your mom helped you and like it's fulfilling and
Speaker:people have helped you along the way.
Speaker:What was it like for you helping those, those kids?
Speaker:It was very.
Speaker:It's inspiring.
Speaker:Looking back on it in the moment, it was really just all outta
Speaker:love, like the love for people.
Speaker:I just wanted people to understand, I love the notion that when people
Speaker:have their aha moment, like I got it, especially kids, it hits a little bit
Speaker:different when you, you catch a kid.
Speaker:Falling in love with a new interest that they didn't think they can
Speaker:do, especially when it's kind of like academically driven.
Speaker:They kind of usually shy away from those 'cause like the math and the science,
Speaker:like I really don't wanna do those.
Speaker:A lot of kids don't like it.
Speaker:So if you can convince a child to love to love any aspect of math and science.
Speaker:Done a great thing.
Speaker:So I would, I would feel really proud, especially when I was working with
Speaker:younger girls, um, all the way up until like the middle school, high school age.
Speaker:'cause like once they get around middle school and high school,
Speaker:they're usually really decisive of like what they don't wanna try.
Speaker:And so if you can catch them in their elementary, middle school
Speaker:era, you got a good thing going.
Speaker:So how do you grab their attention?
Speaker:Because I, I'm thinking about this and it's, it's, I'm just thinking of a story
Speaker:about, I spoke at a technical school.
Speaker:And the kids were in in the, on high school and I said, how am
Speaker:I gonna reach their attention?
Speaker:Like, and I went to my kids.
Speaker:So I have a daughter who's eight and a son who's 11.
Speaker:I said, how do I grab their attention within five seconds?
Speaker:'cause I know I'm gonna lose their attention.
Speaker:I said, dad, you gotta talk about cell phones, you gotta talk about
Speaker:Fortnite, you gotta talk about Xbox.
Speaker:I'm like, you sure?
Speaker:He's like, yeah, teacher.
Speaker:Sure.
Speaker:So like within boom, I get up within five seconds, I'm talking about Fortnite.
Speaker:Everybody starts laughing.
Speaker:Everybody, you gotta pay attention.
Speaker:And then I was talking about how the skilled trades promote wifi and they,
Speaker:you know, they support everything.
Speaker:And what a wifi went down, you wouldn't be able to get like, and
Speaker:they were all laughing and it was just really funny about trying to grab the
Speaker:attention of the younger generation.
Speaker:If you don't grab their attention, you know, they're, they're
Speaker:lost doing, they, they're lost.
Speaker:And that's why like, especially once they get a little bit after middle school,
Speaker:I've, I've noticed that disconnect.
Speaker:'cause I've had to go through that too.
Speaker:It got to the point where I was even considering like pedagogy
Speaker:classes, like how to teach what is the art of teaching because it is
Speaker:like, I need to know those things.
Speaker:'cause like the high schoolers, like you said, you have to
Speaker:be able to relate to them.
Speaker:You have to make those connections.
Speaker:So I was big on story times, like telling stories when I was in high school.
Speaker:So they understand I'm not too far from.
Speaker:You were or where you guys are right now.
Speaker:So we're not that far in age.
Speaker:Like my story can still be yours and vice versa.
Speaker:So being relatable, being authentic, like you said, making little jokes with them.
Speaker:You can't be boring.
Speaker:You have to put a smile on their face.
Speaker:And they love, love, love things that are hands on.
Speaker:You have to bring something that is directly related to whatever
Speaker:it is you're talking about.
Speaker:So we're talking about robots.
Speaker:You better have a robot on that stage or something.
Speaker:We're talking about 3D printers.
Speaker:I better see some 3D prints or something printed live so that they can see it.
Speaker:This generation, we're all about what we can see, what we document.
Speaker:If it, it's not documented, it never happened.
Speaker:I'm thinking about also engaging kids through Yes.
Speaker:Uh, the VR experience.
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:So like gamification.
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:And there's a couple companies here.
Speaker:Um, one is a company called Transfer.
Speaker:And you know, you could be a welder, you can be a lineman, you can do robot.
Speaker:I think you can do robot.
Speaker:You do a few different things in a VR world and kids love games.
Speaker:So if you bring that in and you're showcasing to these kids.
Speaker:What it's like to work with your hands.
Speaker:It's one thing for them to, to show them something, but to put on the
Speaker:experience in the goggles and all of a sudden you're in that world.
Speaker:Right?
Speaker:And then they actually, and make that connection to how there's actually actual
Speaker:jobs like robot, uh, robot technicians, where you're just monitoring, making sure
Speaker:that the robots are doing what they're supposed to, starting out 60 to $70,000.
Speaker:Now you have a story, now you have a connection.
Speaker:Now you've.
Speaker:Helping a student create a goal so that they wanna fulfill.
Speaker:And that gives them a, a roadmap to, okay, this is where I'm trying to go.
Speaker:And you see how you, just from experience to connection to example,
Speaker:now you have a goal and you have somewhere you, you're trying to get to.
Speaker:And so that's why I'm like, exposure is a big thing too, but also pointing
Speaker:students in the right direction, like noticing their strengths and
Speaker:weaknesses, what they're good at and what they're not, and leveraging those.
Speaker:Also meeting where your audience is.
Speaker:You know, we talked about obviously we're, you know, uh, partnership
Speaker:with, uh, skills, USA and TikTok, and we're one of the creators on that.
Speaker:When did you start your TikTok journey?
Speaker:Long ago, believe it or not, I'm about to be one year.
Speaker:One year next July year.
Speaker:Congratulations.
Speaker:One year.
Speaker:Thank you so much.
Speaker:And it's been a journey like.
Speaker:Just the journey of social media content creator.
Speaker:When I started my TikTok, it wasn't with the purpose of, oh, I'm just
Speaker:gonna be number one STEM creator, or I just wanna, it wasn't any of that.
Speaker:It was just like, I made this thing, I wanna show other people,
Speaker:and if they're interested, cool.
Speaker:If they're not, I still gotta keep posting just so I don't lose it.
Speaker:And so.
Speaker:I posted, like after my second video, I got like a hundred thousand views
Speaker:and I was absolutely shocked at the number of people who actually
Speaker:cared about STEM on TikTok.
Speaker:Like that app, at that app specifically.
Speaker:And I was just getting my DM flooded with questions about who I am, where
Speaker:do I do, how am I so young, and I'm the fact that I'm just building
Speaker:all these things, what's next?
Speaker:And so people started inquiring more about me.
Speaker:And so I'm like, okay, so it's not just the fact that.
Speaker:The skill in itself, it's like you said, it's being authentic.
Speaker:Having that personality, being human, like talking about your days when you
Speaker:don't, when you're not doing good, when you're not feeling good, when
Speaker:you're not feeling like that talented creative that everybody sees you as.
Speaker:And so I feel like that's what really separated me when it
Speaker:comes to like personal branding is like, I'll be real with you.
Speaker:I'll be honest.
Speaker:And I'll tell you about my failures.
Speaker:I say that's not always easy for everybody.
Speaker:Yeah, it is not.
Speaker:I'll tell you about my failures.
Speaker:I'll tell you about how things aren't working out where I need help.
Speaker:A lot of people don't even know how to, how to ask for help, um, in, in
Speaker:these communities, in these spaces.
Speaker:But I noticed too, sometimes I don't even have to ask people.
Speaker:Like you guys will find me and offer the help and the support, and it's like
Speaker:things that I've prayed for and it's like.
Speaker:To like, it feels good to be noticed and recognized.
Speaker:It's like, especially when I wasn't even anticipating that.
Speaker:It's like I wasn't even anticipating like a year from a year ago.
Speaker:I wasn't even thinking that you guys would even know who I was.
Speaker:And yeah, so it's just like the power of social media, the power of
Speaker:connection, or just like those days when I didn't even wanna post or where
Speaker:I was like, should I delete this?
Speaker:I only got three views in an hour.
Speaker:Or like, you'll have your malfunction.
Speaker:It's like I coulda gave up them, but.
Speaker:You see where that would've left me.
Speaker:Like, you know, so it's kind of like you gotta keep pushing, you gotta keep
Speaker:going, you gotta keep making those posts.
Speaker:And like I said, documentation is important.
Speaker:So if you didn't post it, it didn't happen.
Speaker:That was kind of like the mindset I had a year before graduating.
Speaker:Like, I need to build my resume, I need a portfolio.
Speaker:So LinkedIn is great as well, but I wanna do TikTok.
Speaker:So I chose TikTok and that's where it's been.
Speaker:It's been great.
Speaker:Like it is been amazing.
Speaker:Not just for like the, the connection and the.
Speaker:Opportunities as it's created, but just more so, like I said, that resume
Speaker:or building your portfolio or having something where you're keeping a
Speaker:record of things that you're learning, your failures, where you're getting
Speaker:better, some of your strengths.
Speaker:So it is, it's just a, it's an amazing opportunity and I'm really
Speaker:glad that I chose this platform to start that journey on, because.
Speaker:The way it just exemplified itself.
Speaker:I was not expecting or ready, but I had no choice but to get ready.
Speaker:Well, people follow personalities and today it's about personal brand and
Speaker:you need to be obviously out there and especially, you know, like on
Speaker:a TikTok and some other platforms.
Speaker:But I remember sort of my journey where I was struggling on that platform
Speaker:and I couldn't, I couldn't grow.
Speaker:The videos I were doing were too edited.
Speaker:It was too perfect.
Speaker:And we talked about authenticity, and one day I was like, okay, I'm
Speaker:just gonna talk to the camera.
Speaker:So I, I just did this.
Speaker:Video and I said something like, welding is a dying career.
Speaker:And I started throwing out statistics and it one to 3 million views.
Speaker:I'm like, holy shit.
Speaker:I'm like, okay, that's better.
Speaker:And I started, do, started doing it, and then all of a sudden I was like,
Speaker:my followers started go up as, as you probably sit, and I like interactions,
Speaker:comments, questions, shared.
Speaker:I'm like, oh my God.
Speaker:These heavy engagement here, the more raw the video is, the better it does.
Speaker:So if you're listening to this, and obviously if you want to grow your own
Speaker:personal brand as well, be more authentic.
Speaker:Don't be so edited where it's just too perfect because people can't relate.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:If we're human.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:And people also have short attention spans, so grab your attention
Speaker:while you can't, like you said, you start off with a strong hook.
Speaker:Welding is a dying field.
Speaker:You have people's attention.
Speaker:'cause what do you mean by that?
Speaker:So if you're looking into personal Bandit, I'm pretty sure it's a, a whole episode.
Speaker:We can get into tips and tricks that I've been trying
Speaker:to learn and understand myself.
Speaker:So that's something I'll be definitely interested in with you one day.
Speaker:Yeah, it's a Wild Rides a Ride.
Speaker:Sure.
Speaker:It Wild Ride.
Speaker:It's just a wild ride and I'm still learning, but the only thing I can
Speaker:say, like I keep telling everyone else, it's just keep posting.
Speaker:If you have a dream, if you're interested in content creation, if you're interested.
Speaker:Any form of art that requires you to put yourself out there
Speaker:on social media, just do it.
Speaker:Even the days where you don't feel like doing it, do it.
Speaker:'cause you could wake up and that next video could be your lucky video.
Speaker:So yeah, it could change everything for you.
Speaker:It could change everything for you.
Speaker:So, well, I love, uh, following your journey and I'll continue
Speaker:following your journey.
Speaker:If people wanna find out more about Destiny.
Speaker:Where do they go to find you?
Speaker:Yes, on TikTok I, OT Lab six 16.
Speaker:Again, that's I OT Lab, and that stands for Internet of Things
Speaker:six 16, which is my birthday.
Speaker:And yeah, I'm on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube as well.
Speaker:I'll have longer formatted videos, tutorials, product reviews,
Speaker:all that good stuff there.
Speaker:Very cool.
Speaker:And my dms are always open, so feel free to send me questions
Speaker:and all that good stuff.
Speaker:If I, I want to leave you with one last question.
Speaker:If you can speak to somebody who's a little bit younger and is struggling,
Speaker:has been in your sort of position, what advice would you give them?
Speaker:Be kind to yourself.
Speaker:Be gentle, be patient, and understand that it's a journey
Speaker:to want something is one thing.
Speaker:To have the work ethic and to build that resilience and to.
Speaker:Be able to face adversity that's gonna come with time and skills and age.
Speaker:So don't be too hard on yourself to have this great aspirations and be so
Speaker:quick to wanna do it and fulfill it, that you lose the, the, the process,
Speaker:you lose the, the journey of it.
Speaker:Like that's very important.
Speaker:We like to just get to where we're going and, and that just be it.
Speaker:And then everything else about the process we hate.
Speaker:No slow down.
Speaker:Enjoy it.
Speaker:Don't rush yourself to grow up fast.
Speaker:Still be a kid, still be a teen, but just know you have your
Speaker:own priorities that you have.
Speaker:Focus, create that balance.
Speaker:It's all about balance.
Speaker:Don't overindulge in one other than the other.
Speaker:Being too much of a kid versus trying to be too much of a career
Speaker:professional, like you have to find that perfect balance that works for you.
Speaker:And remember what works for one person doesn't work for the other.
Speaker:So know yourself.
Speaker:Take the time to understand what works for you, understand your triggers,
Speaker:understand when you're getting, when you're getting stressed, and how
Speaker:to relieve those in healthy ways.
Speaker:So.
Speaker:Just be patient.
Speaker:Don't be so hard on yourself.
Speaker:Don't compare yourself to anyone else's journey.
Speaker:You've got this.
Speaker:This is your world.
Speaker:Created and build it.
Speaker:We're the innovators for the future, so take control of your future.
Speaker:Use your skill traits to be the person you wanna be.
Speaker:I love that.
Speaker:And it is about patience, and a lot of kids want instant gratification.
Speaker:Instant gratification.
Speaker:What's delayed gratification, right?
Speaker:Look, it might take you a couple years, you've been on this
Speaker:journey for, for a couple years, but look how far you've come.
Speaker:You know, you keep your, you know, the gas down on the, you know, on the throttle
Speaker:and you keep moving forward and, and you fail here, but you get better here.
Speaker:And it's, it's, it is about the patients and it is about the journey.
Speaker:The journey, the journey.
Speaker:You'll fall in love with it.
Speaker:Just like I said, don't be too hard yourself, don't compare yourself.
Speaker:It's easy to fall in love with, we see on social media, but.
Speaker:Forget that.
Speaker:Stay focused on your own path and you'll be a lot happier that way.
Speaker:Awesome stuff.
Speaker:Destiny, it has been a blast to have you on the show.
Speaker:Yay.
Speaker:And thank you so much.
Speaker:Thank you so much for having me, and I look forward to coming with you next time.
Speaker:Likewise.
Speaker:Thanks for listening to The Lost Art of the Skilled Trades.
Speaker:Visit us@andrewbrown.net for more resources and tips.
Speaker:Join us next time for real stories and meaningful initiatives as we celebrate
Speaker:our men and women in the skilled trades and shape the future together.
