The National Academy of Engineering is proud to introduce the first class of EngineerGirl Amabassadors. During the 2018-2019 academic year, each Ambassador designed, developed, and implemented a project to encourage younger girls – particularly those with little access to engineering role models – to think about engineering careers and give them practical experience in engineering design. They worked with local sponsors and received guidance and support from EngineerGirl staff.
Alyssa Ho
9th Grade
Pasadena, CA
Alyssa organized a robotics expo for Girl Scouts throughout Los Angeles County. The Expo attracted over 300 participants who were excited about learning how Girl Scouts can engage in engineering and STEM. The event included a parent workshop, and as a result of Alyssa’s efforts, at least 16 attendees indicated that they would be starting new Girl Scouts Robotics Clubs next year!
Morgan Kalif
11th Grade
Middletown, RI
Morgan organized a high school club for girls in engineering at their high school in Rhode Island. They shared what they learned at the SWE conference with these students and worked on training them to present introductory engineering materials to younger students. They made connections with a local middle school and brought their high school group to present an overview of engineering in all the fifth-grade classrooms. Then they launched and ran an after-school engineering club with over 20 girls at the school for two months.
Update: Morgan graduated from high school in 2020 and is attending Georgia Tech, where they plan to study mechanical engineering.
Rose Lee
11th Grade
Rockville, MD
Rose grew her tutoring and mentoring program with underrepresented students at a Title One school in Maryland from three to nine students. They met once a week with individual mentors and worked on design projects to get a taste for engineering. The students expressed their creativity through tasks such as building boats, marshmallow towers, film canister rockets, lava lamps, and solar ovens. They developed strong relationships, learned to embrace failure, and gained more confidence in their endless capabilities.
Update: Rose graduated from high school in 2020 and is attending Duke University, where she plans to study biochemistry.
Sophia Viner
12th Grade
Parkland, FL
Sophia launched an afterschool engineering club for girls at Westglades Middle School in Parkland, FL. Club membership included 18 girls who met every Friday to discuss topics ranging from how to design a stable, aerodynamic rocket, to circuits and how speakers work. They completed small, fun engineering challenges while learning about the engineering design process. Sophia even brought in guest speakers from a local university who talked about life as engineering students. Students improved their understanding of engineering and noted an increased desire to stay engaged in STEM fields. Students also developed their leadership abilities, and two eighth-grade students served as junior leaders.
Update: Sophia graduated from high school in 2019 and is attending Vanderbilt University, where she plans to study biomedical engineering.