When Johari Barrientos-Murray joined the 2025 AFS Global STEM Academies program, she already had a passion for sustainability and climate action. What she did not anticipate was how her AFS experience would open doors to incredible opportunities related to these passions. She was thrilled to receive a NASA-affiliated full scholarship opportunity, the chance to join a world-renowned NGO in Brazil, a seat in one of the largest European youth forums, and ultimately a path toward a career in aerospace engineering.
The AFS Global STEM Academies are fully-funded scholarship opportunities that bring together young people around the world for experiential workshops, site visits, and design thinking challenges. Throughout the sixteen weeks of the Academies program, Johari found herself immersed in a community of young changemakers who expanded both her worldview and the potential she imagined for herself.
“During both the virtual and in-person sections of the program, I made amazing connections and learned every step of the way,” Johari said. “I entered the program knowing I was passionate about sustainability, but I left with a clear understanding of how I want to contribute: through engineering and representation in aerospace.”
As part of her virtual experience with the Academies, Johari developed a Capstone Project, “Extremadura Sostenible”, that explores solutions to her community’s urban sustainability challenges. Through this initiative, she hosted free workshops for students aged 7-14 aimed at making sustainability accessible, engaging and relevant. She described her project as an initiative for “empowering the next generation with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to embrace a greener future.”
Developing her project introduced her to new ways of understanding environmental challenges and eventually led to an unexpected connection with a youth-led NGO, EcoAction Brazil, an independent organization that uses satellite data and computer research to tackle local environmental challenges. Through her work with the organization, Johari learned to use spatial morphology and machine learning to address the effects of intra-urban heat islands in densely populated areas.
Inspired by the organization’s work, Johari joined EcoAction Brazil’s Pure Research team as a volunteer Scientific Communicator. In her new role, she supports in expanding the reach of the organization’s work and communicating scientific findings and research to broader audiences.
For Johari, this experience reinforced one of the most important lessons she took from AFS: “that good ideas can have a tangible, global impact if you have the passion and commitment to see it through,” she shared, “and that there is a whole world of people out there ready and willing to help you along the way.”
Since becoming part of the AFS Global STEM alumni community, Johari has secured the Al Worden Endeavour Scholarship, a fully funded opportunity to attend the world-renowned U.S. Space & Rocket Center’s Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama. Through the program’s NASA-affiliated astronaut training experience, she collaborated with students from around the world on mission simulations, aerospace challenges, and leadership development.
While the academic tools and STEM knowledge she gained were measurable and important, some of the most lasting lessons were more challenging to quantify. “The most valuable [learnings] were intangible: the courage to lead, a better understanding of myself, the skill to find common ground across cultures, and the deep-seated belief that I have a role to play in building a more sustainable future.”
Johari has continued to seek out opportunities that bring together her interests in STEM, sustainability, and global collaboration. She became an active member and collaborator with Women in Aviation, a nonprofit organization connecting young women around the world with academic and professional opportunities in the aviation industry. She was also selected to join a summer volunteer and cultural exchange program in Okinawa, Japan, through AIPC Pandora.
Her international experiences continued when she was selected to represent Spain at the Your Europe, Your Say! forum, organized by the European Economic and Social Committee, held in Brussels in 2026. She shared this opportunity with only 136 other students and educators from the 27 Member States of the European Union and the United Kingdom. During this forum, Johari and her peers took part in workshops dedicated to diplomatic debate and collaborative work, with the aim of fostering the next generation of young European leaders.
With each new opportunity, Johari has continued exploring the intersection of technology, sustainability and social impact. This intersection, she says, is central to the career she hopes to build. What’s more, Johari’s journey with AFS did not end with the AFS Global STEM Academies program. In 2026, she returned as an alumni mentor, supporting the next generation of scholars as they developed their own ideas and social impact projects.
For Johari, becoming a mentor let her see the full impact of what being an AFSer truly is. “It’s allowed me to process my own experience while giving back to a community that gave me so much.” Finding a community of young people who share her passion for creating positive change gave her a new perspective and renewed confidence in herself and her future.
Today, Johari continues to pursue opportunities that bring her closer to her goals in engineering and aerospace while remaining committed to using STEM as a tool for positive change. She is brimming with gratitude, particularly for the scholarship funders at bp: “Your investment was not just in my education, but in my belief in myself.”
This month, Johari began her journey to become an Aerospace Engineer at TU Delft in the Netherlands, home of Europe’s leading aerospace engineering program. Reflecting on how far she has come, she recognizes just how much the confidence she gained through AFS has changed the possibilities she sees for herself.
“As a woman in STEM from a region with limited opportunities, support from AFS has been decisive for me to find my place. I would’ve never imagined applying to so many programs and opportunities, joining NGOs and following this career path, especially in another country and cultural context, if it weren’t for AFS.“
Johari’s professional journey has just begun, but it’s already a powerful reminder of what can happen when young people are given the opportunity to learn, connect, and discover the role they can play in shaping the future.
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