Written by: Annie Deusch - Future Latina in STEM
My sister and I walked into the Feminist Majority Foundation in Beverly Hills, not knowing what to expect. I quickly gathered that we were amongst women who are passionate about increasing female representation in tech. STEAMS is truly running full “steam” ahead. We were graced with an introduction to eleven leading ladies who are revolutionizing their high school, college and professional careers in STEAMS. Leaders as young as 14 years, described their fears and hardships. They did not give up on themselves and therefore emphasize the importance of resilience for success.
The panel’s keynote speaker, Dr. Sarah Milkovich, gave a powerful presentation on her experiences leading up to the present. She is now a planetary geologist for NASA at JPL in Pasadena. I was inspired by her story on how impactful the Earth’s various structures influenced her decision to pursue a career in geology. Dr. Milkovich expressed a key tip to stay focused on your goals is to “surround yourself with like minded people.” I also appreciated her candidness about her struggle with anxiety. She stated that there were times when she wanted to give up on her career but a deeper voice than her anxiety did not let her. My next new hero of the day was, Dr. Michelle Flowers Taylor, Director of IEC3 at USC. I admired her honesty about the hard work that lies ahead for us. She said that we should not be afraid to fail because failure helps us rethink our plans and makes us resilient.
As a junior at an all-girls school in Alhambra, I see the mission of empowering teen girls in STEAMS on a daily basis. On any given day, I might see the robotics team shuffling nuts and volts across the room in a mad flurry to design a robot and then walk past the choir, singing tenors harmoniously. As for myself, Information Technology has taken a bite out of me! After attending the panel, I researched tech opportunities for teens and I hope to be accepted to a global learning classroom. As a Latina, my hope is to help bring STEAMS panels to more communities in the East LA area. We can do it!
Special thanks to UN Women – Greater LA Chapter for access to Girls Can STEAMS: Celebrating International Day of the Girl.
As a junior at an all-girls school in Alhambra, I see the mission of empowering teen girls in STEAMS on a daily basis. On any given day, I might see the robotics team shuffling nuts and volts across the room in a mad flurry to design a robot and then walk past the choir, singing tenors harmoniously. As for myself, Information Technology has taken a bite out of me! After attending the panel, I researched tech opportunities for teens and I hope to be accepted to a global learning classroom. As a Latina, my hope is to help bring STEAMS panels to more communities in the East LA area. We can do it!
Special thanks to UN Women – Greater LA Chapter for access to Girls Can STEAMS: Celebrating International Day of the Girl.
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