Service

STEM, STEAM, and Arts Education

Art Technically

Art Technically is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit on a mission to promote and provide STEM and Arts education to K-12 students through in-person and virtual workshops, free and open-source curricula and educational resources, STEM and Arts projects serving special interest groups, educational programming for K-12 students, and advocacy for the importance of STEM and Arts Education. I currently serve as director of Art Technically, managing volunteers and programming; interfacing with school, nonprofit, media, and government partners; writing curricula, teaching workshops and at events, and leading organizational mission-development with the board.

Astrobotany Workshop

The Astrobotany workshop teaches students biology, physics, and space science topics through the field of astrobotany, or growing plants in space.
Above: In-person astrobotany workshop at the Atoka Community Center in Tipton County, TN.
Below: Virtual astrobotany workshop for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s 26th annual Black Families Technologies Awareness Day 2022.
Link to Lesson Plan.

I Am a Scientist Artwork

In this mini-lesson plan, students use mixed media to imagine themselves as scientists. Their photos are taken using an instant camera, and they use their photos, paper scientist costume cutouts, stickers, and other mixed media to express their vision for themselves as a scientist.

Science Bears

“Science Bears” is a special Art Technically project that creates scientist-themed teddy bears for children in need such as children at Child Advocacy Centers and family shelters. Recently, 27 science bears were delivered to the Memphis Child Advocacy Center in Fall 2021.

Jitterbugs

One of Art Technically’s mini-lesson plans teaches students about simple circuits using ‘Jitterbugs’. In this STEAM workshop, students design pom-pom bugs using craft supplies and attach a vibrating motor to their bug to make them dance!

Science Suitcases

“Science Suitcases” provides K-12 schools with ‘suitcases’ of STEM-themed books, games, and educational materials. Suitcases provide books that help students explore unique and interesting STEM topics while practicing their literacy skills.

BFTAD Panel

Art Technically held a Young Black Scientists and Engineers Panel with creative coding workshop for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s 26th annual Black Families Technologies Awareness Day 2022.

St. Patrick’s Day Arts Workshops 2022

Irish dance and mixed media classes were held throughout rural Tipton County, Tennessee in March 2022 to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and promote arts education and exercise.

Miss United States reads a book to children at a public library

Miss United States holds book with a principal at Rock Port Elementary

Storytimes and Book Donations 2023

Lily is hosting STEM storytimes and donating books to libraries and schools across the U.S. during her year as Miss United States.

Love Letters: Coding Cards for Seniors

“Love Letters” is a workshop that teaches students introductory coding through creating greeting cards. The cards are themed to a season, usually Valentine’s Day, and are printed and donated to senior meal delivery services. These ‘love letters’ help students learn to code and participate in a service project that helps bring joy to disadvantaged seniors.

Student coding Valentine's Day card at computer

Love Letters 2022
Over 2000 Valentine’s Day cards were delivered to seniors in Tennessee through the Kiwanis club of Franklin County and the Metropolitan Interfaith Association (MIFA’s) Meals on Wheels program, our very first partners from back in 2016.

Love Letters 2018 with Edmund Burke School, the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington, and American University
Cards for Iona Senior Services of Tenleytown DC’s senior meal delivery service

Love Letters 2019 with Edmund Burke School, the Jeleff Boys and Girls Club, and American University
Cards for Iona Senior Services of Tenleytown DC’s senior meal delivery service

Love Letters 2019 (creation of the Embassy Row addendum featuring international flags made with code for Washington, DC’s embassy row community.)

Love Letters 2019 (creation of the Halloween addendum for Watergate Apartment Complex’s “Spooky Mad Science Expo”)

The free and open-source Love Letters Lesson Plan, written and tested by Lily and the Art Technically team, is hosted on arttechnically.org/workshops/love-letters

Love Letters 2016-2017
Introduction of Campaign by DoSomething and Meals on Wheels America. Cards for Memphis Interfaith Association’s Meals on Wheels program.

Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals & St. jude

Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals is a North American non-profit organization that raises funds for children’s hospitals, medical research, and community awareness of children’s health issues. St. Jude Children’s Hospital is a research hospital in Lily’s hometown, Memphis, on a mission to treat and cure childhood cancer. Lily has raised over $7,000 to date for CMN and St. Jude to date.

Lily holds Barbies at a chair that says 'Le Bonheur'

Diverse Artist and Scientist Barbie Doll Donations – Holidays 2021 Lily curated and delivered 30 artist and scientist Barbie dolls to Le Bonheur Children’s hospital in Memphis and Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in Nashville in December 2022. The top photo shows her and other Miss America titleholders with infant blanket donations at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in 2017.

2019 Yeti Cooler Raffle for CMN $15 raffle tickets for a limited edition Yeti Tundra High Country cooler donated by Tim’s Ace Hardware of Memphis raised over $500. Original Post

2018 Yeti Cooler Raffle for CMN $10 raffle tickets for a seafoam Yeti Tundra cooler donated by Tim’s Ace Hardware of Memphis raised $500 for CMN. Original Post

American University Meme Stickers Lily designed 29 stickers and sold them for Children’s National Medical Center throughout 2018-19. The project raised about $400 for CNMC. A set of stickers from “Series 3: Support and Sport” was sold in a Memphis boutique during October 2018 and others in that series inspired a follow-up fundraiser for American University Cheerleading’s nationals fund. Some of the most popular designs included a Magic School Bus version of the university shuttles, Metro Red Line stickers, and alumni stickers
Stickers Sale Page Two month campaign update

Podcast Interview with AWOL Magazine’s Not Your Average Podcast on the project

Anatomy Fashion Show in Benefit of CMN Lily volunteered with Phi Delta Epsilon Medical Fraternity’s Anatomy Fashion Show in Benefit of CMN and sold stickers for CMN at the event. Original Post

Miracle Miles 5K for CMN Lily participated in the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen Program throughout high school where she was mentored by her sister crown of two years, Grace Burgess (Miss Tipton County 2015, Miss Mid-South 2016, Miss Tennessee 2016). Lily volunteered with Grace’s literacy platform and together they fundraised for CMN through events like this 5K, luncheons, and tons of canning on Highway 64!

Man of the District 2018 and 2019 MOTD is a male pageant fundraiser for Children’s Miracle Network held yearly in DC. The contestants are partnered with Miss District of Columbia contestants for CMN Fundraising. Top: Lily and two of her AU Cheerleading teammates, Athena Dookie and Aquila Harper (who was also Lily’s Miss DC sister that year), at MOTD 2019 Bottom: Lily and her 2018 partner, Roel Ayala (a former AU Cheerleader)

Buckets of Smiles for Children’s National Buckets of Smiles is a national 501c3 non-profit that provides buckets of item donations, including toys and infant items, to Children’s hospitals. Lily was the Bucket of Smiles ambassador to DC in 2018 and collected 10 buckets worth of items for Children’s National Medical Center. Original Post

#ChildrensHospitalsWeek / Miss America Serves Day 2019

Lily’s cheer team with CMN advocacy bandaids

EagleTHON Dance-a-THON for CMN at American University Top: Lily and her roommate, Anna Mason, after Lily’s EagleTHON shift. (Anna would have another four hours after the photo.) Bottom: Lily with Katelynne Cox (Miss DC 2019)

2015 Holiday Donations to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital The Miss Mid-South/Tipton County Organization donated over 200 blankets to Le Bonheur Child Life Services for infant holiday gifts, some of which Lily made with a generous donation of fleece from Nancy’s Notions and with kid-drawn quilt squares from elementary schools around Memphis.

Waiting tables for CMN

Miscellaneous

Prevent Cancer 5K Lily has done the Prevent Cancer 5K at Nationals Park with her team the past three years. Each year, cheerleaders/dancers form their own teams with outside friends and compete to raise money for the 5K. In 2019, Lily’s team won, raising $450 for the Prevent Cancer Foundation in 1 month. Above: Prevent Cancer 5K 2019 Below: Prevent Cancer 5K 2017

Be Your Best Self Girl’s Night at Bethel University

IHOP National Pancake Day in benefit of CMN

White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner Pre-Party Hosted by the Embassy of Qatar and The Washington Diplomat at the U.S. Institute of Peace

Read Across America Dr. Seuss Day

Face Painting for Community Day at The Grove Apartments (Lily was a lifeguard then administrative assistant / leasing agent there during high school).

Setting up volleyball courts for a tournament at the Washington Convention Center

American University Athlete Ally Chapter (LGBTQ athletic advocacy group)

The Bolton Renaissance project beautified local schools through mural painting, landscaping, filling in potholes, and road repainting with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office (the Bolton area is not under a township to provide these services).

Mid-south Youth Literacy Council

Family Christmas party at National Guard armory

Crafting for a Cause: Hats for Children’s Hospital Theatre

Read Across America

Chick-fil-a Mid-South Daddy Daughter Dance

Literacy Event at Treadwell Elementary School

Our Students are Q&A’ing with Astronauts in Space

Mar 24, 2025

Richmond Hill High School in Queens, NY is uplinking to the International Space Station! As part of NASA’s In Flight Educational Downlink program, students at RHHS participated in STEM and STEAM workshops (including Art Technically’s Astrobotany workshop shown here) to prepare questions for astronauts.

New York Botanical Garden’s Orchid Show

Mar 24, 2025

I went to the New York Botanical Garden’s Spring 2025 Orchid Show with my friend JoBelle!

I taught PD at the Space Exploration Educators Conference at Space Center Houston

Feb 13, 2025

My former NASA educator partner and I presented educator sessions on Astrobotany and Sangmin’s NASA unit plan ‘Cloudy with a Chance of Science’ on studying extreme weather from space during the 2025 Space Exploration Educators Conference at Space Center Houston.