By Casey Neill
A 12-year-old YouTuber and science communicator is helping kids around the world connect with STEM.
Dubai-based Ehsan Adouane was coding by age six and successfully building apps by age nine.
“I was always curious and asked a lot of questions – sometimes too many!” he laughed.
“I remember wanting to know how numbers worked, how games were built, and why things behaved the way they did.
“Math and science felt like puzzles, and I liked the feeling of figuring something out on my own.
“The more I learned, the more curious I became.
“Taking advanced classes and learning to code showed me that STEM isn’t just about schoolwork – it’s about solving problems and creating things.
“Traveling and meeting people from different cultures also helped me see how science and technology affect real lives, which made me want to go deeper.”
Ehsan found STEM content for adults complicated and intimidating, so he took matters into his own hands, starting a YouTube channel.
“I wanted to explain ideas in a way that kids my age could understand and enjoy,” he said.
“Teaching also helps me learn better, and YouTube allows me to share curiosity, not just information, with kids around the world.
“I love realizing that curiosity is the same everywhere.
“Kids from different countries ask similar questions and get excited about the same ideas.
“One message that stayed with me was from a student who said my videos made them feel less alone for liking science. That meant a lot to me.”
Ehsan has interviewed a NASA astronaut, a Harvard professor, a theoretical physicist, a tech investor, and more.
“I wanted kids to see that people in STEM are real humans, not just names or titles,” he said.
“Many of them didn’t have a straight or easy path, and hearing their stories makes success feel more achievable.
“In one interview, a scientist talked about failing many times before succeeding.
“That really stayed with me.
“It made me understand that struggling doesn’t mean you’re bad at something – it’s often part of learning and growing.
“I still think about that when things feel difficult.”
Ehsan wants to keep learning and building things that help others learn better.
“I’m especially interested in advanced math, computer science, and AI,” he said.
“In the long term, I hope to work on technology that has a positive impact on society, while continuing to inspire curiosity through my channel.”
He encouraged other kids interested in STEM to be curious and “don’t worry about being perfect”.
“It’s okay to not understand things at first – that’s how learning works,” he said.
“Ask questions, try things out, and enjoy the process.
“If something excites you, that’s usually a good sign you should keep exploring it.
See more from Ehsan at www.youtube.com/@ettanehsan or ettanehsan.com.
