GIANT Spotlight: Meet Juliet!

Name: Juliet Menz

Title: Learning Strategist

Tell us a bit about yourself… Hi! I'm Juliet! I’m the Learning Strategist here at The GIANT Room.

I recently graduated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education with a degree in Technology, Innovation, and Education. My favorite place on campus was the makerspace, where I spent countless hours designing, building, and prototyping educational toys. I also completed my capstone on Blended Making: Creativity in the Physical and Digital World with the MIT Media Lab. 

Before Harvard, I worked at Sesame Workshop, assisting in the development and production of educational content for platforms including YouTube, HBO and Apple. 

I'm excited to join The GIANT Room and create a space where kids can innovate, create, and explore their own GIANT ideas!

Describe what you were like as a kid… Energetic, Curious, and Silly! Pretty much the same person I am today, just a little shorter. I loved putting on shows with my cousins and friends, playing soccer and taking dance classes, and playing spies at my grandma’s apartment building. My favorite subjects in school were always math, science, and art, so I’m happy to finally find a role that combines all my interests!

My favorite item to use in GIANT projects is… I love tinkering with something I’ve never used before, so “something new” would be my first choice. But my go-to items would have to be cardboard boxes and bright colored duct tape. If those two items are left in front of me, I can’t resist building something!

My most memorable moment at The GIANT Room is… There was a boy who came into our Makey Makey workshop this summer who was very quiet and shy. I tried to engage him with the group, but no matter what I did, he remained reserved. I then asked if he wanted to help me build a piano, and he reluctantly agreed. As I started to build, he started to give me creative notes, eventually taking charge. Before I knew it, I had become the intern to a 6 year old boy; he took full control and directed every move of the build. Together, we built a vertical piano. He was so proud of it, his mom practically had to drag him out of the room!

My favorite thing to do in New York is… going to see a Broadway show! I am a true musical theater geek at heart. 

Something I’m looking forward to is…being a part of the GIANT team! Something exciting happens everyday. Things are moving quickly, and I’m so happy to be on board for the ride. :)