My Story
I never thought of pursuing engineering in middle school, but I always loved food science. Engineering was an abstract field that seemed hard to understand. In middle school, I was the girl who always falls behind in tech lab because I genuinely thought that boys have the innate ability to code and model on the computer because they are always the first ones to finish the projects. Recently, my mindset changed. Many of my male classmates’ scores are not that different from mine. I realized that they do not have some natural ability; they are simply taught that they can succeed in engineering.
From attending many conferences that encourage girls to engineering, I learned that chemical engineering would be a great option to amplify my love for food science and that my products can be mass-produced to be available to everyone. Without the constant reminders that girls can succeed in engineering, I would be too intimidated to pursue my passion. I would be a wonderful ambassador because, in addition to having dealt with personal struggles, I also have many experiences teaching younger kids. I volunteered as a leadership intern for 80 hours last summer at Camp Invention to lead elementary school kids in STEM activities. I also lead a small group of girls every Saturday in Willow Creek Community Church. Having a female role model and guidance for young girls is especially essential for fostering curiosity in an unfamiliar field such as engineering.
My Project
To successfully empower the young girls to pursue engineering, having female leaders that the kids can look up is essential. At the beginning of every lesson, we will introduce a new female scientist/engineer that works in the field related to the lesson. For example, in my upcoming electrical engineering lesson, the first slide features Edith Clarke who is the first female electrical engineer in the US. Role models in history are as crucial as role models in the classroom. In addition to leading with a team of high school girls, we will invite female math and science teachers to talk about their journey of pursuing STEM. For our team projects and challenges, every kid’s ideas are equally valued and there will be no incorrect answers. There will be a brainstorming challenge at the beginning of every team project to foster curiosity.
We will encourage all the crazy ideas and our club should be a safe place without judgment. In addition, efficient teamwork and effective communication skills are crucial for engineering and everyday life. Every girl in the group will have a chance to lead the group on different projects. Specifically, the leaders will gather every member’s ideas, help the group come up with the ultimate solution by listening to everyone’s opinions, and communicate it with me or other high school leaders