Lemond Brown, 37
Through his organization, Swaliga Foundation, Lemond Brown has blended hip-hop and engineering to teach STEAM to more than 25,000 youth.
Lemond Brown’s path to impact began with a turning point. As a student at Drexel, he faced academic struggles and a life-altering brush with the law — an experience that forced him to take an honest look at his future and, ultimately, change course for the better. Facing his struggles with honesty, he recommitted to completing his degree before returning home to Washington, D.C., where he saw firsthand the opportunity gaps facing young people in math and science. Many of them, he knew, had the same creativity and potential as friends he had seen struggle or watched fall into difficult circumstances. Drawing on both his time studying engineering at Drexel, where he found the tools to be both creative and impactful with his work, and his background as a musician, he began experimenting with a new approach: using hip-hop and digital arts to teach science, tech, engineering and math (STEM) concepts in a way that felt relevant and engaging.
“My musical background and my engineering training helped me to create the first STEAM curriculum more than a decade ago.” Lemond Brown
What started as a small, improvised effort — setting up unused equipment in a community space and inviting students to create music — quickly grew. Today, through the D.C.-based Swaliga Foundation, Brown has reached more than 25,000 youth and families, helping students connect creativity with technical skills and envision new possibilities for their futures. Looking ahead, he hopes to expand the foundation’s impact globally while mentoring the next generation of leaders — and continuing to show what can happen when purpose meets action.
In his own words…
My Greatest Accomplishment:
My greatest accomplishment is impacting more than 25,000 youth and families through my work with the Swaliga Foundation — particularly a group of students I had travel from Washington, D.C., to South Africa for a life-changing program, many of whom went on to study STEAM-related fields. That impact is worth more than the money I’ve made or the albums and shows I’ve done globally.
How Drexel Shaped My Path:
Truth be told I didn’t want to study engineering. I wanted to focus on music and my record deal. Drexel taught me resilience and most importantly how to think like an engineer. My musical background and my engineering training helped me to create the first STEAM (STEM plus art) curriculum more than a decade ago, using hip hop and digital arts to teach STEM.
Where I Hope To Be in Five Years:
I pray that I’m on a beach somewhere watching my businesses grow. I will have passed the torch to new leadership at the Swaliga Foundation to continue to impact youth and families globally, and I’ll continue to inspire people and organizations as a pioneer in the field of STEAM education. DM
