Ava N. Simmons, also known as Ava The STEM Princess® is a 12-year-old STEM Ambassador, Entrepreneur, Toy Designer, Author, and the creator of educational toy brand Team Genius Squad. Diagnosed with Dyslexia and Dysgraphia in 2021, Ava used STEM and entrepreneurial activities to help overcome her academic challenges and build her confidence. To share her learning journey and encourage others, Ava creates engaging STEM-based educational videos, authors STEM books, conducts peer-to-peer STEM activities in the community, and develops S.T.E.M. toys for children ages 5-13, especially children that are neurodivergent or underexposed to STEM. She has conducted 3000+ peer-to-peer STEM experiments with children in the community, authored 3 books, and developed 15 branded STEM toys. Her STEM products can be found at retailers and her online store.

Have you always wanted to be an entrepreneur?

I’ve always loved making and designing things! When I was younger, I made baby doll clothes out of balloons and old clothes. Yep, balloons! They were perfect for swimwear. I also used to make slime and sell it at school, which was a pretty great business idea—until my principal found out! Haha. When I started getting my first orders, it got me super excited and made me want to do even more and show my creativity.

How did you use STEM to help you overcome academic challenges and build your confidence?

Having Dyslexia and Dysgraphia makes it hard for me to read and write.  Whenever I do a STEM activity, I always need to figure out how and why. I used to search the internet for projects or experiments, but I couldn’t understand the info, and that stopped me from having fun. So, I worked on my reading and math more, even learning by doing cooking recipes. Did you know cooking is STEM? It’s all about chemical reactions happening between ingredients, and it tastes amazing! Soon, I could read, measure, and do math to figure out how to make things. When people started watching my videos and telling me how cool my stuff was, it built my confidence and made me want to keep going!

Tell us about your company, Team Genius Squad, and the engaging products you offer.

Team Genius Squad helps kids who have trouble learning in regular ways by making STEM fun and easy. Our mission is to create cool products that help kids learn, solve problems, and explore new ideas, while also supporting parents and teachers. My STEM products are super fun and hands-on, and they help kids learn about science, tech, engineering, and math in a creative way. Right now, we offer STEM kits, lab coats, puzzles, books, and even slime!

Tell us about your STEM kits. What was important to you when developing your kits?

The most important thing to me when developing my STEM kits is that they’re fun, quick, and exciting—something new that kids can easily try. I have 7 STEM kits, and my favorite is the Lemon Electricity kit. It’s awesome because you can create electricity with just lemons and metal! It’s the first kit I ever made, and I remember going to Home Depot and Lowe’s to get the metal pieces. Now it’s in a cool signature box and sold in stores! I’m so proud of how far it’s come! See the Lemon Electricity Kit here: https://shop.teamgeniussquad.com/products/lemon-electricity-stem-experiment-kit

Tell us about your upcoming speaking events.

Speaking events are one of my favorite parts of my business! I’ll be showcasing my STEM products at the ECRM Educational Product Trade Show and presenting at the PBS Kids Channel Rootle NC Roaster Tour, where I’ll be showing off STEM learning in communities across North Carolina. I’m also doing an Interactive STEM Experience at the REED Dyslexia Charitable Foundation Community Engagement Event in Florida. Check out my full calendar of events here: https://www.jotform.com/app/221855517462156/page/20

Share with us about what we can find at your Youth Entrepreneurship Workshop.

At my Youth Entrepreneurship Workshop, the number one thing you’ll find is fun! I believe learning should be fun, and it makes everything easier. I show kids how to have fun with a purpose, and my workshops are interactive and designed to make sure everyone has the best time possible.

What have you enjoyed the most about being a business owner at a young age?

I’ve loved meeting amazing people, making a difference for kids, and getting to travel to awesome places. When people tell me how much they love my kits, it reminds me how far I’ve come—from being bullied for my learning differences to using those differences to inspire others.

What is your vision for your company in 2025?

In 2025 I want to grow Team Genius Squad even more and work with investors to take it to the next level. My goal is to teach millions of kids how fun STEM can be and help them discover their inner genius. Especially, children not exposed to STEM, children with learning differences like me, and children in underserved communities.  I want to collaborate with school districts and big education companies like Scholastic and McGraw Hill to have my products into science curriculums for grades K-5  across the country!