Nia Asemota on Redrawing the Future of ART and STEM

JULY 8th, 2026 by IMANE BAGHOURI

For much of her childhood, Nia imagined a future in medicine – in her household, becoming a doctor was expected. Inspired by Grey's Anatomy, she dreamed of becoming an oncologist or anesthesiologist, following in the footsteps of her father and nearly every member of his family.

Today, however, Nia's career has taken a different path. Beginning as a software engineer at NASA, she transitioned to product management at Spotify, and is now a Product Marketing Manager at YouTube in New York. Nia notes that her journey was not carefully planned; it was shaped by unexpected opportunities, and the willingness to embrace change.

Until she joined a robotics team in high school, engineering had never even crossed her mind. Building robots, however, exposed her to a world of creativity and problem-solving that immediately captured her attention. "I was introduced to the world of technology, the world of engineering, and just hands-on building," she recalls. "I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I want to do that."

Near the end of her sophomore year, Nia switched into computer science, joining classmates who already had internships at companies like Google, Meta, and Snapchat. She remembers constantly feeling behind. She retook introductory programming, taught herself coding outside of class, and spent countless hours preparing for technical interviews. The self-doubt remained even after earning opportunities at companies she had long admired.

I kept asking myself, 'Why is it me? How did I do it?'", she says, recalling her persistent imposter syndrome. Working at NASA, however, changed her perspective – Nia found herself surrounded by people who were still learning and asking questions. "When you're at jobs, whether it's internships or full-time careers, you do learn on the job," she says. "Give yourself grace. Trust your abilities. If it's meant for you, it will be for you."

"Give yourself grace. Trust your abilities. If it's meant to be for you, it will be for you."

While in college, Nia began teaching coding through Black Girls Code. Preparing lessons for young students challenged her to deepen her own understanding while reminding her why representation in STEM mattered. Teaching shifted her focus away from comparing herself to others and toward empowering the next generation. "If I didn't feel strong in my coding abilities in class, I had to know it really well to teach a seven-year-old," she explains. "That became my why."

During the pandemic, she began noticing another gap: representation wasn't only missing in STEM workplaces. It was also absent from the books and creative resources that children grew up with. Looking back on her own childhood, she remembered colouring characters brown because she rarely saw herself reflected on the page. "I've always been drawing ever since I could hold a crayon," she says. "I always have my sketchbook with me. I realized there was also a lack of representation in the art field."

That realization became the foundation for ArtXNia, a creative initiative dedicated to making STEM more inclusive through colouring books, puzzles, stickers, and educational resources that introduce children to scientists, engineers, programmers, and inventors.

One of her earliest projects was created in partnership with Black Girls Code, followed by a bilingual Latinas in STEM colouring book that celebrates her Puerto Rican heritage. Beyond illustrations, the books introduce children to STEM vocabulary and highlight pioneers whose contributions are often overlooked. Like many other entrepreneurial journeys, ArtXNia began with late nights and persistence rather than investors or a large team – between physics lectures, Nia sketched new ideas, packed customer orders from her dorm room, and balanced coursework with building her business. "It was really hands-on," she says. "Trial and error. A one-woman team."

"It was really hands-on", she says. "Trial and error. A one-woman team."

When asked what advice she would give to aspiring entrepreneurs, Nia emphasises the importance of resisting waiting for perfection. "You have to try it first," she says. "Put everything out there and see what sticks. Build, iterate, talk to people, network. Your audience will come, and then you can learn from that process."

Today, ArtXNia has expanded beyond colouring books to include STEM career puzzles and educational resources, while growing internationally through partnerships with schools in Ghana and Senegal. For Nia, the goal is to ensure that girls everywhere grow up seeing themselves reflected in science.