Competitors in the FIRST Robotics competition, which the author has participated in for 5 years.

A personal perspective from 2018 EngineerGirl Ambassador Emma Kalif

I first discovered my interest in engineering in my fifth grade STEAM class. This was my first time being exposed to engineering, and I instantly fell in love. Of course, I told my parents about this new passion that I had found. They were both encouraging and supportive. I remember my mom did a bit of research about engineering opportunities around where I lived, which prompted me to participate in a robotics camp that following summer.

Nothing was able to complete my insatiable desire to problem solve, so my mom continued to do more and more research so I could get as much experience in the STEAM field as possible. She is a Spanish teacher, and has never really been involved STEAM herself, so we were both exploring something different with my new passion. If it had not been for her, I would have never learned about the FIRST Robotics team that I have been a member of since eighth grade.

I might have lost interest in STEAM if my parents hadn’t found even more opportunities for me to participate in these activities. I could have just forgotten all about engineering if I had not been actively involved in the field that I love so much.

It wasn’t just my mom that made sure that I was involved in the STEAM field at a young age. Almost every math, science or engineering teacher that I have had throughout middle school and high school liked to share how cool it is to be a female in this male dominated field. I have had several teachers who went above and beyond their job descriptions and created after school programs for their students without any pay.

I am eternally grateful for these teachers, who already do so much by spreading knowledge for a living. They have kept me engaged with STEAM , and arranged for me to meet people who share the same interest as me. Even if they didn’t start their own club, I have had some teachers do research for me to connect me to STEAM activities outside of the school day. In fact, I first learned about becoming an EngineerGirl Ambassador because my teacher told me about it and encouraged me to apply. I have also had teachers who have urged me to apply to summer programs and apprenticeships. This support from such a wide array of people strongly encouraged me to pursue a field in STEAM.

If you know of any young girl who is even slightly interested in engineering, whether she be a student, daughter, niece, or even a friend, just taking a few minutes to show her that you support her passion for STEAM could make a world of difference. This could include asking about engineering activities that she might be interested in, connecting her with STEAM programs in your community, or even directing her to the EngineerGirl website. I know that it may not seem like it, but just taking a moment to show that you are supportive and proud of her decision to follow STEAM will encourage her to stick with the field and pursue it later on in life. It certainly did for me.