My Story
Ever since I was a little girl, I have been fascinated by nature, math, and science. However, growing up, I noticed that there were considerably more boys than girls in my STEM classes and summer camps. As both a girl and a Latina, I didn’t see many people like me on the engineering path. Indeed, even in high school there are only five girls in my AP Computer Science Class. As the granddaughter of immigrants who had little to no formal education, the daughter of a first-generation college student, and a first-generation engineer in my own right, I am aware of the struggles of being the first in one’s family to move to a new country, pursue a higher education, or explore a new career path.
With the support of incredible teachers, mentors, and friends, I was introduced to engineering in my freshman year of high school and have continued to pursue my interest in STEM through engineering courses and clubs. Recognizing the importance of supporting women and minorities in STEM fields, I founded and serve as president of Represent in Math and Engineering, a student-led organization dedicated to promoting underrepresented groups and first-generation engineers in STEM fields. Through RIME, I am working to make STEM opportunities more accessible to children of all backgrounds through community workshops, journalism, and guest speaker series. I also serve as secretary and treasurer of a SWENext chapter and recently received the SWENext STEM in Action Award for my work advancing girls in STEM.
My Project
I will implement a series of 7 STEM workshops from May to November and a 5-day summer camp in June introducing elementary-school aged minority girls in District 80 schools to different engineering fields. Each workshop I host will be focused on a different engineering field and its application in addressing a real-world issue. Workshops will incorporate an introduction of the engineering discipline, a creative design activity, an engineering design challenge, and a presentation by an engineering professional. The 5-day summer camp will focus on engineering trailblazers and be open to 15-20 first through fifth grade girls. Each day will focus on a historic woman engineer: Katherine Johnson, Emily Warren Roebling, Hedy Lamarr, Ada Lovelace, and Margaret Hutchinson. Camp days will open with a discussion of the achievements of the engineer of the day and include engineering activities centered around the same engineering field.