Although Women In STEM (WiSTEM) co-president Shaari Calidas (11) attended the past two years’ Society of Women Engineers (SWENext) forums, she said moderating it, March 14, was a whole new experience.
“I think one of the good parts about these events is that it helps improve your public speaking in a safe environment [where] people are all the same—we’re all women in STEM,” she said. “You just have to get used to on-the-go [answering] questions or just making sure that things run smoothly.”
Organized by Westview in conjunction with San Diego SWENext organization, the annual Zoom forum includes presentations and a Q&A with a panel of collegiate engineering majors, women with STEM careers, and high-school STEM leaders like Calidas, and is open to high-schoolers and middle-schoolers worldwide. The meeting aimed to help strengthen girls’ STEM communities, which WiSTEM vice president Citlali Martinez (11) said are crucial to every campus.
“Any exposure to science helps build toward more diverse STEM, and having [clubs like WiSTEM] promotes that directly on campus,” she said. “Whether it’s spreading awareness about local opportunities for girls interested in STEM, interviewing, or hosting our own event, our club is helping create and inspire a community.”
In the two weeks prior, the club worked to network with possible participants and promote the event on social media platforms in order to connect with as many people as possible.
“I hope that it was a safe space for all the high-schoolers to learn advice and gain inspiration for what they could be doing and implementing in their clubs and robotics teams,” she said. “It’s nice to keep up the tradition for the fifth year and it’s a great way to help others get volunteer hours, speaking skills, and learn more about engineering all at once. I hope that the club continues to host the outreach events, both in-person and [on] Zoom, that we have a lot more members, and that our club continues to promote women in STEM and girls in engineering.”
According to treasurer Camrynn Beal (10), the club’s main focus this year has been on drumming up interest in STEM.
“Our club outreach is important because we’re trying to bridge the gender gap within engineering,” Beal said. “We’re trying to work on that, get more people interested in engineering, and for the girls that are interested in engineering, give them a community and mentors so that they know what they’re doing.”
To spread this message, members lead projects at local fairs and at elementary schools. Co-president Tanya Mandyam (12) said that during these events, it’s important to present science in innovative ways.
“If your teacher’s telling you about different educational opportunities or careers, it might just seem a little overwhelming, so that’s why we try to connect with [the elementary school kids] on their level,” Mandyam said. “That age [is] when you want to show them that they could do anything and it’s not restricted to one career or the other for girls or boys. That’s kind of [the stereotype] we’re trying to break down. So I think outreach is important to connect with kids and show them that they could do anything if they wanted to.”
Beal said that these age groups benefit the most from being introduced to STEM.
“It’s a lot better to get started when they’re younger because they get more amazed by simple things,” Beal said. “If you have a battery and you have an LED, and you turn on the LED, they’re like, ‘Whoa.’ So it’s just sparking that inspiration [and] interest in STEM and engineering.”
Martinez said it’s imperative that all young people have the resources to unlock the world of science.
“Too often, [young girls] lack the role models or resources that can inspire them to get into science and technology, which creates bigger barriers in the future,” she said. “By reaching out to students at elementary school science fairs or hosting engaging activities during our club meetings, we are helping break that glass ceiling.”