From the Only Girl in a Robotics Camp to a Leader in STEM: Empowering the Next Generation at AGSS

Medha Ravi

When addressing the problem of the underrepresentation of women in STEM we have to answer the question of why. Why do most girls lose interest in STEM by middle school (according to a Junior Achievement survey)? Understanding this question can help us answer the question of what we can do to encourage young girls to continue their passion for STEM.

Personally, I recall a robotics camp when I was in first grade. I was the only girl amongst the roughly four of five campers taking this course. This roughly reflects the percentage of women in STEM, which according to the Society of Women Engineers is a mere 29.2%, compared to the approximately 50% of women in non-stem workforces. I remember going home and crying to my mom that I hated the robotics camp because I didn’t want to be the only girl. Now, I am taking a Computer Science and Programming course, and enjoying it a lot, and am so glad that that one negative experience didn’t deter me from the interesting field. AGSS aims to make sure no girl is ever deterred from a career in STEM by creating an all-girls environment where the kids can grow and learn together so that if they eventually face a situation similar to my past self, they can step up as a leader.

Although my experience didn’t push me away from STEM, and reflecting on it, it drew me closer, this is not the case for every little girl. Even when I participate in activities like the Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair, I notice the imbalance of boys to girls. I have learned to take this as motivation to excel in STEM and become a leader for little girls who are like I used to be and make sure every one of them has someone like them to look up to.
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AGSS works to never make a little girl feel like she belongs when pursuing STEM and teaches them crucial skills in both STEM and leadership while showing them they can do what they love.