It was a special day at FabLab León as we hosted the FabConnectHer Role Modelling Workshop, a gathering that brought together young minds, educators, and families to explore the power of inspiration and inclusion in STEAM—Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. We were joined by María Lorenzo, who shared her inspiring story: how a bright little girl who dreamed of traveling to space ultimately steered her professional path toward literature. And what a start to her career, María won the 2024 Jordi Sierra i Fabra Youth Award for her debut novel, El muñeco del maestro.
Interview with María Lorenzo Valero
“From FabLab León, I take away the knowledge that if I have an idea and set my mind to it, I can achieve it.”
FabLab León’s extracurricular activities are open to anyone who wants to experiment with technology. It doesn’t matter what you plan to do later in life, what you learn here will help you tackle new challenges. Our students today will, in a few years, become engineers, writers, architects, teachers, musicians, or mechanics with a deeper understanding of what they’re capable of achieving thanks to digital fabrication and they will apply this knowledge in their fields to go one step further.
We spoke with María Lorenzo, a second‐year high school student who spent four years at FabLab León. Next academic year, she plans to enroll in Hispanic Philology, after winning the Jordi Sierra i Fabra Youth Award a few months ago with her first novel, The Master’s Doll.
María began at FabLab León in fifth grade. She joined the Poderosas group, exclusively for girls, and later became part of the Jovenes Makers. She discovered FabLab León at a public event, was fascinated by everything that could be created here, and spent four years developing her own projects.
“I especially remember designing a woman astronaut and printing her on a t-shirt and a notebook. She represented the ideal I wanted to become, and I was thrilled,” María recalls.
It was her World Literature teacher in high school who reminded this book-loving young woman of her passion for words and writing. That’s what she’s focusing on now, but those four years at FabLab León taught her much more than how to translate designs into physical objects.
“What I take with me is the confidence that I can do whatever I set my mind to, with effort and dedication,” María explains. “FabLab León gave me the assurance that if I have an idea and commit to it, I can make it happen.”
Her novel also features an inspiring teacher. Set in the years leading up to the Spanish Civil War, it tells, from a young girl’s perspective, her relationship with her teacher, with whom she shares a very special secret. It’s based on a true story she learned while volunteering through her school: every Saturday they visited a nursing home to do activities with the elderly.
“They almost always wanted to play bingo, so we played and talked with them,” María says. “One lady approached me and told me the story of her teacher. I was captivated by the beauty of the tale and the love with which she remembered him, and I thought this story shouldn’t be lost.”
With her permission, María began collecting documents while talking to her grandparents and researching films and books to better understand the era in which her novel takes place. The drive to write it came when she discovered the Jordi Sierra i Fabra Award—and the rest is history.
“When they told me I had won, it was a surprise: it was the first novel I’d ever written and I didn’t know if I was doing it right or wrong—my only reference was the books I loved to read,” she explains. According to the jury, she succeeded in creating “a novel of the purest magic realism.” In recent months, she has presented her book in numerous venues, including the very nursing home where the woman who told her the story lives.
Looking back on her years at FabLab León, María also recalls giving a talk during the International Day of Women and Girls in Science celebration to inspire other girls with her projects and hobbies. “That opportunity meant so much. It showed me what I was capable of and helped me gain confidence,” María affirms.
After María shared her story, we held a participatory workshop where girls, teachers, and families came together to discuss the challenges girls face when pursuing STEAM careers, proposing solutions in a deeply enriching debate.
Thank you to everyone who took part for bringing your ideas, insights, and commitment to a more inclusive future in science and technology with girls in the driving seat.
READ MORE ABOUT OUR EVENT ON https://fabconnecther.eu/mentorship-resource-hub/spain-workshop/
