My Story
Walking into an Engineering class for the first time, I had no idea what engineering meant. We started off the class building bridges with popsicle sticks which was interesting, but it was the Lego engineering unit that convinced me I wanted to be an Engineer. Before long, we were designing and coding our own Lego robots and I was put in a group with two of the smartest boys in the class. At first, they wouldn't let me even touch the Lego. I watched them spend class after class struggling to figure out how to code the robot correctly. On the third day the teacher suggested they let me try to figure it out and they rolled their eyes as they handed me the robot. I began playing with the buttons and the robot began to move the way I wanted it to. It was that day, coding Lego robots in my sixth grade engineering class, when my long term aspirations took shape.
This experience was significant in my life because it sparked my passion for engineering, but it also taught me that in STEM fields women are consistently under-represented and have more to give when given the chance. I have had to navigate the engineering field by myself and through my experiences I have learned how women have to be powerful and know their worth to succeed in this field. I hope I can pass my knowledge on to younger girls and inspire a whole new generation of engineers.
My Project
In the span of 8 months I hope to teach the group of girls that they can apply engineering to almost every aspect of life.
Each monthly meeting would be similar, but focus on general engineering or a different type of engineering. The class would start off with a project. For example, in month two, I would cover mechanical engineering. I would start off the class with a scavenger hunt. The kids would have to go around the school and find as many simple machines as they can. Once they come back we would debrief about how mechanical engineers use these simple machines to produce more complex things. After they have a basic understanding of what mechanical engineering is, I would like to end each class with what careers a Mechanical Engineer can have. For example some cool jobs that not everyone would think of with a mechanical engineering degree is a NASCAR engineer who makes cars that can be fast but also safe. Another example is a toy engineer. I would also like to end the class with prominent female figures in the field. Each class would be similar starting off with a project and ending with interesting careers one can have in the field. Engineering fields we will cover include: mechanical, chemical, computer, and biomedical. At the end each, student will pick a field that they are interested in and create a final project using the tools they have gained from the class.
These past two years I have worked closely with an independent academy in Lawrence Massachusetts called Bellesini Academy. This academy is a tuition free school who takes the highest performers from the Lawrence public school and allows them to flourish in smaller class sizes. They go to school for 8 hours, have sports after school, they go home and have dinner then are required to come back to school for study hall from 6-8pm. I have communicated with the principal of the school and they said they have many girls that would love to participate in the club.