My Story
I am a student at High Tech High School with aspirations to major in Computer Science in college and go on to become a Software Engineer. My dream of becoming an engineer grew out my curiosity and my passion for finding solutions to solve problems that can better my community. At age 8, I attended STEM classes on Saturdays and my passion for learning and my constant dedication to my studies got me into the gifted and talented program since 2nd Grade.
I excelled in Middle School High Honors classes and was accepted into the highly competitive Design and Fabrication Academy at my High School. Currently, I’m pursuing an associate's degree via dual enrollment at Hudson County Community College. I am the founder of a non-profit organization, Bright Tech Works, that provides STEM education to chronically underrepresented youth and the founder of the United Nations Girl Up Chapter in my High School. I'm a leader in the Hispanic Engineering Club, chief of staff of my local chapter of Junior State of America (JSA) as well as director of activism for the Mid-Atlantic State JSA, and I'm in Model UN at my school. I volunteer teaching technology classes at my local library, and my town's Students In Action, for which I am the director of education. I'm also a 2021-2022 New Jersey Governor STEM Scholar.
My Project
My program puts a focus on English as a Second Language students. I plan to meet with students for hour-long classes once a week for 8 weeks. Classes will be made up of 8-10 girls in grades 4-6. Classes will be taught mainly in English, however whenever needed, class discussion will also be conducted in Spanish to help students better understand new material and instructions. Topics covered will include the engineering design process, chemistry, biomedicine, alternative-energy sources, 3D design, and robotics.
The purpose of this project is to provide girls with the necessary academic and hands-on skills needed to succeed in the STEM related fields. Aside from lesson-based learning, two 10-minute periods will be dedicated to talking about gender equality and girl power in STEM. Between learning sessions, students will also have the opportunity to meet with guest speakers in varying STEM fields. Through all of these elements they will build confidence in themselves and recognize they're capable of overcoming any obstacles on their road to becoming a woman in STEM. This program will serve as a launch pad for young female engineers to go one and do great things.