SECTA team releases Spanish audiobook to expand STEM reach in East Las Vegas

The Pair of Dice Robotics team at Southeast Career Technical Academy released a Spanish audiobook on Thursday. The audio version accompanies a children’s book titled Space Whiskers, which introduces young readers to space and STEM concepts.

The project aims to make science, technology, engineering, and math more accessible to families in East Las Vegas. By providing the content in Spanish, the team targets a specific demographic that may have limited access to similar educational resources.

Nataly Gillard, a member of the robotics team, helped launch the Spanish audiobook. Gillard has been involved in robotics and STEM for more than nine years. She stated that accessibility to STEM should be available for everybody.

"As a little girl who's done this for over nine years, robotics and STEM, I believe it would have been so useful to me and my family," Gillard said. She noted that having these resources in her family's primary language could have changed her early exposure to the field.

Bryan Montes, another team member, narrated the Spanish version of the book. Montes expressed satisfaction in helping younger students learn about STEM opportunities. "It makes me feel happy that I am able to help other students, like the younger generation, elementary school, middle school, and even high school, learn about STEM programs," Montes said.

Jennifer Miller, the coach for Pair of Dice Robotics, encouraged the students to use their skills to give back to the community. "Something that we try to instill in the students is to not take for granted the opportunities that they have," Miller said. "And so, the kids really show that by giving back to the community."

Gillard said the book is designed to inspire young readers to see what is possible when they explore STEM. "Anything is possible, really," she said.