How women in STEM are carving out their place and making room for younger generations.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics
A similar lightbulb moment occurred for scientist Jasmine Kwasa, who was already pursuing her Ph.D. when she determined that cognitive neuroscience and hearing science would be her main disciplines.
As a descendant of teachers, professorship was already on her mind, but it wasn’t until years after taking STEM classes in high school that she realized her passion.
“There was this whole new field of research in hearing science that fascinated me, because there are tons of people with hearing loss and cochlear implants,” Kwasa says. “It’s something that got me excited, and I would wake up every day saying, ‘Yes, I want to do that.’”
Jones pinpoints this connection to personal passion as being crucial to the retention of girls in STEM throughout their education, and it’s the bedrock of the philosophy behind the Dottie Rose Foundation: to educate and uplift girls who are interested in technology.
“I was finding that the number of girls in my classes dropped when I was teaching high school classes,” Jones says. “There were courses being pulled, because there was an assumption around what children already knew.”
At the Dottie Rose Foundation, Jones employs a powerful team of mostly women from all walks of life. Jillian Klingberg, the organization’s executive director, believes that the age-old idea that STEM is nerdy and uncool contributes to young girls’ disinterest in the field, and explains that one of the goals of Dottie Rose is to create a safe space where girls can learn, grow and be encouraged. “They can make new friends and candidly talk about anything and everything,” Klingberg says.
Kwasa has seen that conversation in action when doing outreach activities with young students in Boston. “When we went into the lab so I could show them how brain science works, I wore a bright nail color and a dress,” she says.
“I found that just being feminine was engaging for them, and I knew that they were also engaging with me on the science itself. They would come up to me afterwards and say, ‘I love your nail polish. Where’d you get it from?’ If girls are able to see their strengths and use them in STEM, they can make something that's even bigger than what was originally imagined.”
The strengths of young female students are certainly being challenged this year, as the global pandemic has totally upended their lives. With students living so much of their lives at home and online, Jones and Klingberg are working to diversify the way their students consume information, and how they teach them. They’ve found a partner in organizations like Dell, which has supported the Dottie Rose Foundation for years with computers, the latest technology and their vast STEM knowledge base. “For six Dell technicians to come in and work with the girls so the girls can see them and absorb what they know is huge,” Klingberg says.
That kind of outreach will continue to be critical going forward, not only for universities, but also for organizations like the Dottie Rose Foundation and larger brands and corporations, according to Jones. “It’s about preparing young girls for the roles of the future,” she says. “Coming in, working with them and showing them what they can be is tremendous. You have to be consistent, and you have to continue to show up.”
Kwasa believes the innovative mindset to change STEM for the better already exists in girls, but it’s up to those in power to help open the industry so it’s more appealing. “I think it’s on the practitioners to make it more inclusive,” she says. “Science is a process — from hypothesis through to the test. It is progressive, but people don’t advertise it that way.”
In talking with STEM leaders, it’s clear that 2021 is sure to be an important time for science, and according to Dell Technologies, by 2030 every organization will be a technology organization. Here are profiles of people who are on the ground doing this critical work of continuing to bridge the gender gap for women in areas where this chasm can be connected — in education, through mentorship and across the job market — changing the way young women are not only thinking about their future careers in STEM, but also the kinds of jobs that may be possible in the years to come.
As the world reels from the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic, science has come to dominate the conversation, and careers in STEM are proving to be vital. It’s well known that men make up the majority of those who have careers in STEM — a common abbreviation for the studies of science, technology, engineering and mathematics — and this fact, paired with the news that the current economic recession in the U.S. has disproportionately affected women, means that now is an important time to profile the work of those who are bridging the gender gap for women across STEM industries.
Workshop participants in the middle of creating their STEM project.
(Courtesy of The Dottie Rose Foundation)
“It’s about preparing young girls for the roles of the future.”
How a STEM education prepares girls for their roles as future innovators and leaders.
A 2019 U.S. Census Bureau Report shows that women held only 27% of STEM jobs, though they filled 48% of all U.S. jobs.
% Of Women in:
all U.S. jobs
STEM jobs
THE DOTTIE ROSE FOUNDATION:
Paid for by Dell
CHAPTER I:
CHAPTER II:
CHAPTER III:
The first step in a lifelong commitment to motivate other young girls in STEM.
The unique journey each woman takes in the professional world, crafting her own path and providing an example to younger STEM enthusiasts.
CHAPTER I:
% of BACHELOR's DEGREES EARNED:
By Women
By Women In STEM FIELDS
“Women have been in the STEM fields for quite some time, and our work within those industries has been deep,” says Janell Catlin, the director of equity, diversity and inclusion for FIRST, an organization that educates students in kindergarten through high school in mentor-based research and robotics programs. “Our place in STEM was oftentimes dismissed. It’s critical to have women in the space being mentors and coaches so young girls and women can say to themselves, ‘Well, if she can do it, then I can do it.’”
CHAPTER II:
That visibility was key to sparking Talazia Moore’s interest in STEM, as well as her mentorship work with the Dottie Rose Foundation. “I went to a high school that has an IT academy, and I met awesome teachers who helped push me further into the field and introduced me to different communities that allowed me to flourish in the STEM discipline,” Moore says, adding that it was a big step forward for her as she didn’t know anyone who had studied STEM or was working in the industry.
That representation is crucial at the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), where teams of students are tasked with building a brand, raising funds and constructing an industrial-size robot that will compete against other teams to win awards recognizing excellence in areas such as entrepreneurship, creativity, innovation and team attribution. “Within the high school groups in FRC, girls see other girls working on their robots, and they want to join and be able to do that,” Catlin says. “That is true for high school students being able to mentor and connect with their peers and younger children within their own communities. It’s very powerful in terms of role modeling success in STEM.”
Moore, who met Jones during her high school studies and is now a long-time mentor at the Dottie Rose Foundation, says that becoming a mentor helps STEM students build crucial skills and techniques that they can use in every area of their lives. Moore recalls being a “nervous wreck” the first time she led a Dottie Rose program. “It was something that was out of my element. But afterwards, I was beyond grateful that I did it, because it taught me a lot about myself.”
Self-assurance for young women mentors can also be built through allyship in STEM fields that are still made up by a majority of men. “I did not have many mentors who looked like me,” Catlin says. “The importance of allyship in this space is critical, because those in positions of power need to understand that being an ally means someone being in the trenches with you.”
Moore attributes the gender gap for women that still exists in STEM to a close-minded mentality that prevents those in power from seeing the opportunities that could be unlocked with women’s feedback and input. “Sometimes, conversations that are not had cause a rift,” she says. “If we just sit down and talk, I think a lot can be laid out on the table and cleared up so we can continue to grow as a unit together, both men and women, in the industries.”
Catlin says that corporations also have a role to play when it comes to investment in programs that prioritize the inclusion of girls and young women in STEM. She suggests, “Companies look internally at their own practice in terms of the women who are currently there, doing research around their satisfaction with the organization and with their jobs. Do they feel included in the space that they’re currently working in?”
For Moore, formalizing mentorship for women in STEM is the next step in progress, as men have a much more established structure that they’ve built over decades. “We are trying to both build and rebuild those same structures to allow more women voices and leadership in those spaces, which is where mentorship comes into play,” she says. “As a woman in STEM right now, there is probably another woman in your corner that helped you get to where you are.”
Moore advises that STEM students not be shy in approaching someone they want to be their mentor. Through volunteering time to work with that person, a relationship can be built organically over time, which could turn into a lifelong relationship that augments their STEM journey and creates an incredible bond.
Dajae Williams was first exposed to the myriad career opportunities in STEM through her college admissions counselor, where she received a synopsis of the types of opportunities that were available to her once she graduated with her engineering degree, as well as the available internship opportunities. Now, as a manufacturing engineer, she recalls seeing “big companies that I never knew were possible to go and work for: corporations I only saw in television commercials or that I saw driving on the highway.”
Those opportunities turned into achievements with the help of a national support organization for Black engineers that allows young Black engineering students to upload their résumé to a portal that is being searched by big companies who are looking for diverse talent, which is how Williams’s current employer found her.
CHAPTER III:
— Sharon Jones
“Being an ally means someone being in the trenches
with you.”
“We become more resilient through our communities and the people that pour into us.”
The Dottie Rose Foundation founder Sharon Jones leading a recent workshop.
(Courtesy of The Dottie Rose Foundation)
The RoboTigers, a FIRST team, building their robot.
(Courtesy of FIRST)
Quality engineer and musician Dajae Williams.
(Courtesy of Dajae Williams)
founder, The Dottie Rose Foundation
BACK TO TOP
BACK TO TOP
BACK TO TOP
Cognitive neuroscientist and hearing scientist Jasmine Kwasa at work.
(Courtesy of Jasmine Kwasa)
Talazia Moore on set after a recent workshop hosted by the Dottie Rose Foundation.
(Courtesy of Talazia Moore)
The RoboTigers, a FIRST team, building their robot.
(Courtesy of FIRST)
The RoboTigers, a FIRST team, building their robot.
(Courtesy of FIRST)
Talazia Moore and a team member from the Dottie Rose Foundation at a recent workshop.
(Courtesy of Talazia Moore)
CO-FOUNDER, DOPE LABS PODCAST
— ZakIYA WHATLEY
director of equity, diversity and inclusion, FIRST
— Janell Catlin
Titi Shodiya and Zakiya Whatley on set discussing their experience as scientists and podcasters in STEM.
(Courtesy of Dope Labs)
Quality engineer and musician Dajae Williams.
(Courtesy of Dajae Williams)
Zakiya Whatley in the studio for the Dope Labs podcast.
(Courtesy of Dope Labs)
Behind the scenes at a COOP Careers Cohort Captain training session.
(Courtesy of COOP Careers)
STEM jobs
From Dell:
As one of the largest tech companies in the world, Dell Technologies intends to play a significant role in ensuring technological advancements are built and powered by diverse groups of people. Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino employees are still vastly underrepresented in tech jobs. Through Project Immersion, we aspire to change the narrative of diversity in tech by equipping diverse students with the technical and professional skills needed to succeed in the digital future. To learn more, visit delltechnologies.com.
This article was paid for by Dell and co-created by RYOT Studio. HuffPost editorial staff did not participate in the creation of this content.
Founded by Sharon Jones, the organization works to educate and uplift girls who are interested in technology and computer sciences.
In recent years, women earned 58% of overall bachelor’s degrees,
but only 36% of those were in
STEM fields.
BY WOMEN
By Women In STEM FIELDS
In a July 2020 report published by the Society of Women Engineers, 24% of the group’s members had a reduction in or elimination of their professional development by their employers.
Source: Society of Women Engineers
24%
70% of Society of Women Engineer professionals report concerns about their ability to find another role if they lose their jobs in the near future.
Source: Society of Women Engineers
all U.S. jobs
Sharon Jones teaching students at a recent workshop hosted by the Dottie Rose Foundation.
(Courtesy of The Dottie Rose Foundation)
Founded by inventor Dean Kamen, FIRST is an organization that educates students in kindergarten through high school in mentor-based research and robotics programs.
Founded by scientists Titi Shodiya and Zakiya Whatley, the podcast proves that science is for everyone — connecting the dots between culture and scientific principles.
DOPE LABS PODCAST:
FIRST:
Educating girls and young women reduces inequality, strengthens global economies and makes society more resilient and stable.
Sharon Jones, who founded the Dottie Rose Foundation with the mission to “close the gender gap for females in the field of technology and computer sciences,” saw this need out of her own self-taught journey. Her first major project was a simple, yet hard-to-execute, lesson in binary code that involved making a lightbulb work.
“It took me two weeks to figure out how to get it to turn on,” Jones, who has a doctorate in education, says. “But when it did, I ran up and down the steps, because I couldn’t believe I had done it.” That project became the impetus to empower and teach young girls about STEM.
A similar lightbulb moment occurred for scientist Jasmine Kwasa, who was already pursuing her Ph.D. when she determined that cognitive neuroscience and hearing science would be her main disciplines.
As a descendant of teachers, professorship was already on her mind, but it wasn’t until years after taking STEM classes in high school that she realized her passion.
“There was this whole new field of research in hearing science that fascinated me, because there are tons of people with hearing loss and cochlear implants,” Kwasa says. “It's something that got me excited, and I would wake up every day saying, ‘Yes, I want to do that.’”
Jones pinpoints this connection to personal passion as being crucial to the retention of girls in STEM throughout their education, and it's the bedrock of the philosophy behind the Dottie Rose Foundation: to educate and uplift girls who are interested in technology.
“I was finding that the number of girls in my classes dropped when I was teaching high school classes,” Jones says. “There were courses being pulled, because there was an assumption around what children already knew.”
At the Dottie Rose Foundation, Jones employs a powerful team of mostly women from all walks of life. Jillian Klingberg, the organization’s executive director, believes that the age-old idea that STEM is nerdy and uncool contributes to young girls' disinterest in the field, and explains that one of the goals of Dottie Rose is to create a safe space where girls can learn, grow and be encouraged. “They can make new friends and candidly talk about anything and everything,” Klingberg says.
Kwasa has seen that conversation in action when doing outreach activities with young students in Boston. “When we went into the lab so I could show them how brain science works, I wore a bright nail color and a dress,” she says.
“I found that just being feminine was engaging for them, and I knew that they were also engaging with me on the science itself. They would come up to me afterwards and say, 'I love your nail polish. Where’d you get it from?' If girls are able to see their strengths and use them in STEM, they can make something that's even bigger than what was originally imagined.”
The strengths of young female students are certainly being challenged this year, as the global pandemic has totally upended their lives. With students living so much of their lives at home and online, Jones and Klingberg are working to diversify the way their students consume information, and how they teach them. They’ve found a partner in organizations like Dell, which has supported the Dottie Rose Foundation for years with computers, the latest technology and their vast STEM knowledge base. “For six Dell technicians to come in and work with the girls so the girls can see them and absorb what they know is huge,” Klingberg says.
That kind of outreach will continue to be critical going forward, not only for universities, but also for organizations like the Dottie Rose Foundation and larger brands and corporations, according to Jones. “It’s about preparing young girls for the roles of the future,” she says. “Coming in, working with them and showing them what they can be is tremendous. You have to be consistent, and you have to continue to show up.”
Kwasa believes the innovative mindset to change STEM for the better already exists in girls, but it’s up to those in power to help open the industry so it’s more appealing. “I think it's on the practitioners to make it more inclusive,” she says. “Science is a process — from hypothesis through to the test. It is progressive, but people don't advertise it that way.”
A similar lightbulb moment occurred for scientist Jasmine Kwasa, who was already pursuing her Ph.D. when she determined that cognitive neuroscience and hearing science would be her main disciplines.
As a descendant of teachers, professorship was already on her mind, but it wasn’t until years after taking STEM classes in high school that she realized her passion.
“There was this whole new field of research in hearing science that fascinated me, because there are tons of people with hearing loss and cochlear implants,” Kwasa says. “It's something that got me excited, and I would wake up every day saying, ‘Yes, I want to do that.’”
Jones pinpoints this connection to personal passion as being crucial to the retention of girls in STEM throughout their education, and it's the bedrock of the philosophy behind the Dottie Rose Foundation: to educate and uplift girls who are interested in technology.
“I was finding that the number of girls in my classes dropped when I was teaching high school classes,” Jones says. “There were courses being pulled, because there was an assumption around what children already knew.”
At the Dottie Rose Foundation, Jones employs a powerful team of mostly women from all walks of life. Jillian Klingberg, the organization’s executive director, believes that the age-old idea that STEM is nerdy and uncool contributes to young girls' disinterest in the field, and explains that one of the goals of Dottie Rose is to create a safe space where girls can learn, grow and be encouraged. “They can make new friends and candidly talk about anything and everything,” Klingberg says.
Kwasa has seen that conversation in action when doing outreach activities with young students in Boston. “When we went into the lab so I could show them how brain science works, I wore a bright nail color and a dress,” she says.
“I found that just being feminine was engaging for them, and I knew that they were also engaging with me on the science itself. They would come up to me afterwards and say, 'I love your nail polish. Where’d you get it from?' If girls are able to see their strengths and use them in STEM, they can make something that's even bigger than what was originally imagined.”
The strengths of young female students are certainly being challenged this year, as the global pandemic has totally upended their lives. With students living so much of their lives at home and online, Jones and Klingberg are working to diversify the way their students consume information, and how they teach them. They’ve found a partner in organizations like Dell, which has supported the Dottie Rose Foundation for years with computers, the latest technology and their vast STEM knowledge base. “For six Dell technicians to come in and work with the girls so the girls can see them and absorb what they know is huge,” Klingberg says.
That kind of outreach will continue to be critical going forward, not only for universities, but also for organizations like the Dottie Rose Foundation and larger brands and corporations, according to Jones. “It’s about preparing young girls for the roles of the future,” she says. “Coming in, working with them and showing them what they can be is tremendous. You have to be consistent, and you have to continue to show up.”
Kwasa believes the innovative mindset to change STEM for the better already exists in girls, but it’s up to those in power to help open the industry so it’s more appealing. “I think it's on the practitioners to make it more inclusive,” she says. “Science is a process — from hypothesis through to the test. It is progressive, but people don't advertise it that way.”
A similar lightbulb moment occurred for scientist Jasmine Kwasa, who was already pursuing her Ph.D. when she determined that cognitive neuroscience and hearing science would be her main disciplines.
As a descendant of teachers, professorship was already on her mind, but it wasn’t until years after taking STEM classes in high school that she realized her passion.
“There was this whole new field of research in hearing science that fascinated me, because there are tons of people with hearing loss and cochlear implants,” Kwasa says. “It's something that got me excited, and I would wake up every day saying, ‘Yes, I want to do that.’”
Jones pinpoints this connection to personal passion as being crucial to the retention of girls in STEM throughout their education, and it's the bedrock of the philosophy behind the Dottie Rose Foundation: to educate and uplift girls who are interested in technology.
“I was finding that the number of girls in my classes dropped when I was teaching high school classes,” Jones says. “There were courses being pulled, because there was an assumption around what children already knew.”
At the Dottie Rose Foundation, Jones employs a powerful team of mostly women from all walks of life. Jillian Klingberg, the organization’s executive director, believes that the age-old idea that STEM is nerdy and uncool contributes to young girls' disinterest in the field, and explains that one of the goals of Dottie Rose is to create a safe space where girls can learn, grow and be encouraged. “They can make new friends and candidly talk about anything and everything,” Klingberg says.
Kwasa has seen that conversation in action when doing outreach activities with young students in Boston. “When we went into the lab so I could show them how brain science works, I wore a bright nail color and a dress,” she says.
“I found that just being feminine was engaging for them, and I knew that they were also engaging with me on the science itself. They would come up to me afterwards and say, 'I love your nail polish. Where’d you get it from?' If girls are able to see their strengths and use them in STEM, they can make something that's even bigger than what was originally imagined.”
The strengths of young female students are certainly being challenged this year, as the global pandemic has totally upended their lives. With students living so much of their lives at home and online, Jones and Klingberg are working to diversify the way their students consume information, and how they teach them. They’ve found a partner in organizations like Dell, which has supported the Dottie Rose Foundation for years with computers, the latest technology and their vast STEM knowledge base. “For six Dell technicians to come in and work with the girls so the girls can see them and absorb what they know is huge,” Klingberg says.
That kind of outreach will continue to be critical going forward, not only for universities, but also for organizations like the Dottie Rose Foundation and larger brands and corporations, according to Jones. “It’s about preparing young girls for the roles of the future,” she says. “Coming in, working with them and showing them what they can be is tremendous. You have to be consistent, and you have to continue to show up.”
Kwasa believes the innovative mindset to change STEM for the better already exists in girls, but it’s up to those in power to help open the industry so it’s more appealing. “I think it's on the practitioners to make it more inclusive,” she says. “Science is a process — from hypothesis through to the test. It is progressive, but people don't advertise it that way.”
The strengths of young female students are certainly being challenged this year, as the global pandemic has totally upended their lives. With students living so much of their lives at home and online, Jones and Klingberg are working to diversify the way their students consume information, and how they teach them. They’ve found a partner in organizations like Dell, which has supported the Dottie Rose Foundation for years with computers, the latest technology and their vast STEM knowledge base. “For six Dell technicians to come in and work with the girls so the girls can see them and absorb what they know is huge,” Klingberg says.
That kind of outreach will continue to be critical going forward, not only for universities, but also for organizations like the Dottie Rose Foundation and larger brands and corporations, according to Jones. “It’s about preparing young girls for the roles of the future,” she says. “Coming in, working with them and showing them what they can be is tremendous. You have to be consistent, and you have to continue to show up.”
Kwasa believes the innovative mindset to change STEM for the better already exists in girls, but it’s up to those in power to help open the industry so it’s more appealing. “I think it's on the practitioners to make it more inclusive,” she says. “Science is a process — from hypothesis through to the test. It is progressive, but people don't advertise it that way.”
That visibility was key to sparking Talazia Moore’s interest in STEM, as well as her mentorship work with the Dottie Rose Foundation. “I went to a high school that has an IT academy, and I met awesome teachers who helped push me further into the field and introduced me to different communities that allowed me to flourish in the STEM discipline,” Moore says, adding that it was a big step forward for her as she didn’t know anyone who had studied STEM or was working in the industry.
That representation is crucial at the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), where teams of students are tasked with building a brand, raising funds and constructing an industrial-size robot that will compete against other teams to win awards recognizing excellence in areas such as entrepreneurship, creativity, innovation and team attribution. “Within the high school groups in FRC, girls see other girls working on their robots, and they want to join and be able to do that,” Catlin says. “That is true for high school students being able to mentor and connect with their peers and younger children within their own communities. It’s very powerful in terms of role modeling success in STEM.”
Moore, who met Jones during her high school studies and is now a long-time mentor at the Dottie Rose Foundation, says that becoming a mentor helps STEM students build crucial skills and techniques that they can use in every area of their lives. Moore recalls being a "nervous wreck" the first time she led a Dottie Rose program. “It was something that was out of my element. But afterwards, I was beyond grateful that I did it, because it taught me a lot about myself.”
Self-assurance for young women mentors can also be built through allyship in STEM fields that are still made up by a majority of men. “I did not have many mentors who looked like me,” Catlin says. “The importance of allyship in this space is critical, because those in positions of power need to understand that being an ally means someone being in the trenches with you.”
Moore attributes the gender gap for women that still exists in STEM to a close-minded mentality that prevents those in power from seeing the opportunities that could be unlocked with women’s feedback and input. “Sometimes, conversations that are not had cause a rift,” she says. “If we just sit down and talk, I think a lot can be laid out on the table and cleared up so we can continue to grow as a unit together, both men and women, in the industries.”
Catlin says that corporations also have a role to play when it comes to investment in programs that prioritize the inclusion of girls and young women in STEM. She suggests, “Companies look internally at their own practice in terms of the women who are currently there, doing research around their satisfaction with the organization and with their jobs. Do they feel included in the space that they're currently working in?”
For Moore, formalizing mentorship for women in STEM is the next step in progress, as men have a much more established structure that they’ve built over decades. “We are trying to both build and rebuild those same structures to allow more women voices and leadership in those spaces, which is where mentorship comes into play,” she says. “As a woman in STEM right now, there is probably another woman in your corner that helped you get to where you are.”
Moore advises that STEM students not be shy in approaching someone they want to be their mentor. Through volunteering time to work with that person, a relationship can be built organically over time, which could turn into a lifelong relationship that augments their STEM journey and creates an incredible bond.
That visibility was key to sparking Talazia Moore’s interest in STEM, as well as her mentorship work with the Dottie Rose Foundation. “I went to a high school that has an IT academy, and I met awesome teachers who helped push me further into the field and introduced me to different communities that allowed me to flourish in the STEM discipline,” Moore says, adding that it was a big step forward for her as she didn’t know anyone who had studied STEM or was working in the industry.
That representation is crucial at the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), where teams of students are tasked with building a brand, raising funds and constructing an industrial-size robot that will compete against other teams to win awards recognizing excellence in areas such as entrepreneurship, creativity, innovation and team attribution. “Within the high school groups in FRC, girls see other girls working on their robots, and they want to join and be able to do that,” Catlin says. “That is true for high school students being able to mentor and connect with their peers and younger children within their own communities. It’s very powerful in terms of role modeling success in STEM.”
Moore, who met Jones during her high school studies and is now a long-time mentor at the Dottie Rose Foundation, says that becoming a mentor helps STEM students build crucial skills and techniques that they can use in every area of their lives. Moore recalls being a "nervous wreck" the first time she led a Dottie Rose program. “It was something that was out of my element. But afterwards, I was beyond grateful that I did it, because it taught me a lot about myself.”
Self-assurance for young women mentors can also be built through allyship in STEM fields that are still made up by a majority of men. “I did not have many mentors who looked like me,” Catlin says. “The importance of allyship in this space is critical, because those in positions of power need to understand that being an ally means someone being in the trenches with you.”
Moore attributes the gender gap for women that still exists in STEM to a close-minded mentality that prevents those in power from seeing the opportunities that could be unlocked with women’s feedback and input. “Sometimes, conversations that are not had cause a rift,” she says. “If we just sit down and talk, I think a lot can be laid out on the table and cleared up so we can continue to grow as a unit together, both men and women, in the industries.”
Catlin says that corporations also have a role to play when it comes to investment in programs that prioritize the inclusion of girls and young women in STEM. She suggests, “Companies look internally at their own practice in terms of the women who are currently there, doing research around their satisfaction with the organization and with their jobs. Do they feel included in the space that they're currently working in?”
For Moore, formalizing mentorship for women in STEM is the next step in progress, as men have a much more established structure that they’ve built over decades. “We are trying to both build and rebuild those same structures to allow more women voices and leadership in those spaces, which is where mentorship comes into play,” she says. “As a woman in STEM right now, there is probably another woman in your corner that helped you get to where you are.”
Moore advises that STEM students not be shy in approaching someone they want to be their mentor. Through volunteering time to work with that person, a relationship can be built organically over time, which could turn into a lifelong relationship that augments their STEM journey and creates an incredible bond.
That visibility was key to sparking Talazia Moore’s interest in STEM, as well as her mentorship work with the Dottie Rose Foundation. “I went to a high school that has an IT academy, and I met awesome teachers who helped push me further into the field and introduced me to different communities that allowed me to flourish in the STEM discipline,” Moore says, adding that it was a big step forward for her as she didn’t know anyone who had studied STEM or was working in the industry.
That representation is crucial at the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), where teams of students are tasked with building a brand, raising funds and constructing an industrial-size robot that will compete against other teams to win awards recognizing excellence in areas such as entrepreneurship, creativity, innovation and team attribution. “Within the high school groups in FRC, girls see other girls working on their robots, and they want to join and be able to do that,” Catlin says. “That is true for high school students being able to mentor and connect with their peers and younger children within their own communities. It’s very powerful in terms of role modeling success in STEM.”
Moore, who met Jones during her high school studies and is now a long-time mentor at the Dottie Rose Foundation, says that becoming a mentor helps STEM students build crucial skills and techniques that they can use in every area of their lives. Moore recalls being a "nervous wreck" the first time she led a Dottie Rose program. “It was something that was out of my element. But afterwards, I was beyond grateful that I did it, because it taught me a lot about myself.”
Self-assurance for young women mentors can also be built through allyship in STEM fields that are still made up by a majority of men. “I did not have many mentors who looked like me,” Catlin says. “The importance of allyship in this space is critical, because those in positions of power need to understand that being an ally means someone being in the trenches with you.”
Moore attributes the gender gap for women that still exists in STEM to a close-minded mentality that prevents those in power from seeing the opportunities that could be unlocked with women’s feedback and input. “Sometimes, conversations that are not had cause a rift,” she says. “If we just sit down and talk, I think a lot can be laid out on the table and cleared up so we can continue to grow as a unit together, both men and women, in the industries.”
Catlin says that corporations also have a role to play when it comes to investment in programs that prioritize the inclusion of girls and young women in STEM. She suggests, “Companies look internally at their own practice in terms of the women who are currently there, doing research around their satisfaction with the organization and with their jobs. Do they feel included in the space that they're currently working in?”
For Moore, formalizing mentorship for women in STEM is the next step in progress, as men have a much more established structure that they’ve built over decades. “We are trying to both build and rebuild those same structures to allow more women voices and leadership in those spaces, which is where mentorship comes into play,” she says. “As a woman in STEM right now, there is probably another woman in your corner that helped you get to where you are.”
Moore advises that STEM students not be shy in approaching someone they want to be their mentor. Through volunteering time to work with that person, a relationship can be built organically over time, which could turn into a lifelong relationship that augments their STEM journey and creates an incredible bond.
That visibility was key to sparking Talazia Moore’s interest in STEM, as well as her mentorship work with the Dottie Rose Foundation. “I went to a high school that has an IT academy, and I met awesome teachers who helped push me further into the field and introduced me to different communities that allowed me to flourish in the STEM discipline,” Moore says, adding that it was a big step forward for her as she didn’t know anyone who had studied STEM or was working in the industry.
That representation is crucial at the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), where teams of students are tasked with building a brand, raising funds and constructing an industrial-size robot that will compete against other teams to win awards recognizing excellence in areas such as entrepreneurship, creativity, innovation and team attribution. “Within the high school groups in FRC, girls see other girls working on their robots, and they want to join and be able to do that,” Catlin says. “That is true for high school students being able to mentor and connect with their peers and younger children within their own communities. It’s very powerful in terms of role modeling success in STEM.”
Moore, who met Jones during her high school studies and is now a long-time mentor at the Dottie Rose Foundation, says that becoming a mentor helps STEM students build crucial skills and techniques that they can use in every area of their lives. Moore recalls being a "nervous wreck" the first time she led a Dottie Rose program. “It was something that was out of my element. But afterwards, I was beyond grateful that I did it, because it taught me a lot about myself.”
Self-assurance for young women mentors can also be built through allyship in STEM fields that are still made up by a majority of men. “I did not have many mentors who looked like me,” Catlin says. “The importance of allyship in this space is critical, because those in positions of power need to understand that being an ally means someone being in the trenches with you.”
Moore attributes the gender gap for women that still exists in STEM to a close-minded mentality that prevents those in power from seeing the opportunities that could be unlocked with women’s feedback and input. “Sometimes, conversations that are not had cause a rift,” she says. “If we just sit down and talk, I think a lot can be laid out on the table and cleared up so we can continue to grow as a unit together, both men and women, in the industries.”
Catlin says that corporations also have a role to play when it comes to investment in programs that prioritize the inclusion of girls and young women in STEM. She suggests, “Companies look internally at their own practice in terms of the women who are currently there, doing research around their satisfaction with the organization and with their jobs. Do they feel included in the space that they're currently working in?”
For Moore, formalizing mentorship for women in STEM is the next step in progress, as men have a much more established structure that they’ve built over decades. “We are trying to both build and rebuild those same structures to allow more women voices and leadership in those spaces, which is where mentorship comes into play,” she says. “As a woman in STEM right now, there is probably another woman in your corner that helped you get to where you are.”
Moore advises that STEM students not be shy in approaching someone they want to be their mentor. Through volunteering time to work with that person, a relationship can be built organically over time, which could turn into a lifelong relationship that augments their STEM journey and creates an incredible bond.
The nexus of science and creativity was the motivating factor for biological sciences graduate program manager and cohost of science-centric podcast "Dope Labs," Titi Shodiya, who believes this connection can open the industry up for more women. “You have to have a level of creativity in order to be a scientist,” she says. “That’s the reason I believe everyone has a part of themselves that could be a scientist. We love showing people how art, science and media go hand in hand.”
But the career pathway was a bit more tenuous for Shodiya’s podcast partner, Zakiya Whatley, who works as a deputy quality manager. Whatley went through a pharmacy tech program, but she wasn’t feeling a particular pull to the discipline as a lifelong career, which led to moments of confusion. That was compounded with the feeling of not belonging, due to the lack of diversity around her.
The journey ultimately led Whatley to combine her passions for STEM and audio production, which are reflected in her current career — a course forged by the resilience she believes every woman in STEM must build. “When you have that moment of confusion, thinking ‘Do I belong here?’ and when you're questioning yourself, we become more resilient through our communities and the people that pour into us,” she says. “You are constantly moving through and trying to carve out a space that hasn't been defined for you. And those moments don't go away. It just becomes easier to snap out of them and keep going.”
Building this kind of community is crucial to young women embarking on their STEM careers, and COOP Careers, an organization that fosters peer connection and digital skills to help first-generation graduates from marginalized communities find jobs in the digital market, achieves that through its roster of Cohort Captains, or “near-peer coaches” that guide groups of digital career hopefuls in 200-hour apprenticeship programs.
Rahsheeda McRae attributes her participation in the cohort with sparking her interest in STEM and connecting her to her current career path as a business intelligence analyst. “During a 10-month service project, I was introduced to the COOP community and it was during my apprenticeship that I became increasingly aware of the data realm,” McRae says. “That was one of my first ‘aha’ moments, and it's been an upward journey since then.”
The COOP Careers alumni community now comprises 57% women, so the organization has invested in more professional developments to support them, as well as creating more intentionality around representation. The visibility of more female-identifying panelists and mentors has been crucial in demonstrating what’s possible to the young women in the early stages of their STEM careers.
Williams, Shodiya and Whatley’s advice centers young STEM professionals and the actions they can take to persevere through the challenges that may be placed in their path. As Williams embarks on blending her passion for music with STEM, she recommends playing the long game with roles by checking out job descriptions a year in advance, “knocking off those qualifications on the job listing” and then applying down the line when your résumé aligns more closely with the position you want.
Shodiya and Whatley stress the importance of community and support, what they’ve found in each other through their podcast journey together. “It's having a healthy balance of real life and lab life,” Shodiya says. “Having a good system of people that support you is indispensable. I can name all of those people right now for me, because I wouldn't be where I am without them.”
The nexus of science and creativity was the motivating factor for biological sciences graduate program manager and cohost of science-centric podcast "Dope Labs," Titi Shodiya, who believes this connection can open the industry up for more women. “You have to have a level of creativity in order to be a scientist,” she says. “That’s the reason I believe everyone has a part of themselves that could be a scientist. We love showing people how art, science and media go hand in hand.”
But the career pathway was a bit more tenuous for Shodiya’s podcast partner, Zakiya Whatley, who works as a deputy quality manager. Whatley went through a pharmacy tech program, but she wasn’t feeling a particular pull to the discipline as a lifelong career, which led to moments of confusion. That was compounded with the feeling of not belonging, due to the lack of diversity around her.
The journey ultimately led Whatley to combine her passions for STEM and audio production, which are reflected in her current career — a course forged by the resilience she believes every woman in STEM must build. “When you have that moment of confusion, thinking ‘Do I belong here?’ and when you're questioning yourself, we become more resilient through our communities and the people that pour into us,” she says. “You are constantly moving through and trying to carve out a space that hasn't been defined for you. And those moments don't go away. It just becomes easier to snap out of them and keep going.”
Building this kind of community is crucial to young women embarking on their STEM careers, and COOP Careers, an organization that fosters peer connection and digital skills to help first-generation graduates from marginalized communities find jobs in the digital market, achieves that through its roster of Cohort Captains, or “near-peer coaches” that guide groups of digital career hopefuls in 200-hour apprenticeship programs.
Rahsheeda McRae attributes her participation in the cohort with sparking her interest in STEM and connecting her to her current career path as a business intelligence analyst. “During a 10-month service project, I was introduced to the COOP community and it was during my apprenticeship that I became increasingly aware of the data realm,” McRae says. “That was one of my first ‘aha’ moments, and it's been an upward journey since then.”
The COOP Careers alumni community now comprises 57% women, so the organization has invested in more professional developments to support them, as well as creating more intentionality around representation. The visibility of more female-identifying panelists and mentors has been crucial in demonstrating what’s possible to the young women in the early stages of their STEM careers.
Williams, Shodiya and Whatley’s advice centers young STEM professionals and the actions they can take to persevere through the challenges that may be placed in their path. As Williams embarks on blending her passion for music with STEM, she recommends playing the long game with roles by checking out job descriptions a year in advance, “knocking off those qualifications on the job listing” and then applying down the line when your résumé aligns more closely with the position you want.
Shodiya and Whatley stress the importance of community and support, what they’ve found in each other through their podcast journey together. “It's having a healthy balance of real life and lab life,” Shodiya says. “Having a good system of people that support you is indispensable. I can name all of those people right now for me, because I wouldn't be where I am without them.”
The nexus of science and creativity was the motivating factor for biological sciences graduate program manager and cohost of science-centric podcast "Dope Labs," Titi Shodiya, who believes this connection can open the industry up for more women. “You have to have a level of creativity in order to be a scientist,” she says. “That’s the reason I believe everyone has a part of themselves that could be a scientist. We love showing people how art, science and media go hand in hand.”
But the career pathway was a bit more tenuous for Shodiya’s podcast partner, Zakiya Whatley, who works as a deputy quality manager. Whatley went through a pharmacy tech program, but she wasn’t feeling a particular pull to the discipline as a lifelong career, which led to moments of confusion. That was compounded with the feeling of not belonging, due to the lack of diversity around her.
The journey ultimately led Whatley to combine her passions for STEM and audio production, which are reflected in her current career — a course forged by the resilience she believes every woman in STEM must build. “When you have that moment of confusion, thinking ‘Do I belong here?’ and when you're questioning yourself, we become more resilient through our communities and the people that pour into us,” she says. “You are constantly moving through and trying to carve out a space that hasn't been defined for you. And those moments don't go away. It just becomes easier to snap out of them and keep going.”
Building this kind of community is crucial to young women embarking on their STEM careers, and COOP Careers, an organization that fosters peer connection and digital skills to help first-generation graduates from marginalized communities find jobs in the digital market, achieves that through its roster of Cohort Captains, or “near-peer coaches” that guide groups of digital career hopefuls in 200-hour apprenticeship programs.
Rahsheeda McRae attributes her participation in the cohort with sparking her interest in STEM and connecting her to her current career path as a business intelligence analyst. “During a 10-month service project, I was introduced to the COOP community and it was during my apprenticeship that I became increasingly aware of the data realm,” McRae says. “That was one of my first ‘aha’ moments, and it's been an upward journey since then.”
The COOP Careers alumni community now comprises 57% women, so the organization has invested in more professional developments to support them, as well as creating more intentionality around representation. The visibility of more female-identifying panelists and mentors has been crucial in demonstrating what’s possible to the young women in the early stages of their STEM careers.
Williams, Shodiya and Whatley’s advice centers young STEM professionals and the actions they can take to persevere through the challenges that may be placed in their path. As Williams embarks on blending her passion for music with STEM, she recommends playing the long game with roles by checking out job descriptions a year in advance, “knocking off those qualifications on the job listing” and then applying down the line when your résumé aligns more closely with the position you want.
Shodiya and Whatley stress the importance of community and support, what they’ve found in each other through their podcast journey together. “It's having a healthy balance of real life and lab life,” Shodiya says. “Having a good system of people that support you is indispensable. I can name all of those people right now for me, because I wouldn't be where I am without them.”
The nexus of science and creativity was the motivating factor for biological sciences graduate program manager and cohost of science-centric podcast "Dope Labs," Titi Shodiya, who believes this connection can open the industry up for more women. “You have to have a level of creativity in order to be a scientist,” she says. “That’s the reason I believe everyone has a part of themselves that could be a scientist. We love showing people how art, science and media go hand in hand.”
But the career pathway was a bit more tenuous for Shodiya’s podcast partner, Zakiya Whatley, who works as a deputy quality manager. Whatley went through a pharmacy tech program, but she wasn’t feeling a particular pull to the discipline as a lifelong career, which led to moments of confusion. That was compounded with the feeling of not belonging, due to the lack of diversity around her.
The journey ultimately led Whatley to combine her passions for STEM and audio production, which are reflected in her current career — a course forged by the resilience she believes every woman in STEM must build. “When you have that moment of confusion, thinking ‘Do I belong here?’ and when you're questioning yourself, we become more resilient through our communities and the people that pour into us,” she says. “You are constantly moving through and trying to carve out a space that hasn't been defined for you. And those moments don't go away. It just becomes easier to snap out of them and keep going.”
Building this kind of community is crucial to young women embarking on their STEM careers, and COOP Careers, an organization that fosters peer connection and digital skills to help first-generation graduates from marginalized communities find jobs in the digital market, achieves that through its roster of Cohort Captains, or “near-peer coaches” that guide groups of digital career hopefuls in 200-hour apprenticeship programs.
Rahsheeda McRae attributes her participation in the cohort with sparking her interest in STEM and connecting her to her current career path as a business intelligence analyst. “During a 10-month service project, I was introduced to the COOP community and it was during my apprenticeship that I became increasingly aware of the data realm,” McRae says. “That was one of my first ‘aha’ moments, and it's been an upward journey since then.”
The COOP Careers alumni community now comprises 57% women, so the organization has invested in more professional developments to support them, as well as creating more intentionality around representation. The visibility of more female-identifying panelists and mentors has been crucial in demonstrating what’s possible to the young women in the early stages of their STEM careers.
Williams, Shodiya and Whatley’s advice centers young STEM professionals and the actions they can take to persevere through the challenges that may be placed in their path. As Williams embarks on blending her passion for music with STEM, she recommends playing the long game with roles by checking out job descriptions a year in advance, “knocking off those qualifications on the job listing” and then applying down the line when your résumé aligns more closely with the position you want.
Shodiya and Whatley stress the importance of community and support, what they’ve found in each other through their podcast journey together. “It's having a healthy balance of real life and lab life,” Shodiya says. “Having a good system of people that support you is indispensable. I can name all of those people right now for me, because I wouldn't be where I am without them.”
In talking with STEM leaders, it's clear that 2021 is sure to be an important time for science, and according to Dell Technologies, by 2030 every organization will be a technology organization. Here are profiles of people who are on the ground doing this critical work of continuing to bridge the gender gap for women in areas where this chasm can be connected — in education, through mentorship and across the job market — changing the way young women are not only thinking about their future careers in STEM, but also the kinds of jobs that may be possible in the years to come
The nexus of science and creativity was the motivating factor for biological sciences graduate program manager and cohost of science-centric podcast “Dope Labs,” Titi Shodiya, who believes this connection can open the industry up for more women. “You have to have a level of creativity in order to be a scientist,” she says. “That’s the reason I believe everyone has a part of themselves that could be a scientist. We love showing people how art, science and media go hand in hand.”
But the career pathway was a bit more tenuous for Shodiya’s podcast partner, Zakiya Whatley, who works as a deputy quality manager. Whatley went through a pharmacy tech program, but she wasn’t feeling a particular pull to the discipline as a lifelong career, which led to moments of confusion. That was compounded with the feeling of not belonging, due to the lack of diversity around her.
The journey ultimately led Whatley to combine her passions for STEM and audio production, which are reflected in her current career — a course forged by the resilience she believes every woman in STEM must build. “When you have that moment of confusion, thinking ‘Do I belong here?’ and when you're questioning yourself, we become more resilient through our communities and the people that pour into us,” she says. “You are constantly moving through and trying to carve out a space that hasn’t been defined for you. And those moments don't go away. It just becomes easier to snap out of them and keep going.”
Building this kind of community is crucial to young women embarking on their STEM careers, and COOP Careers, an organization that fosters peer connection and digital skills to help first-generation graduates from marginalized communities find jobs in the digital market, achieves that through its roster of Cohort Captains, or “near-peer coaches” that guide groups of digital career hopefuls in 200-hour apprenticeship programs.
Rahsheeda McRae attributes her participation in the cohort with sparking her interest in STEM and connecting her to her current career path as a business intelligence analyst. “During a 10-month service project, I was introduced to the COOP community and it was during my apprenticeship that I became increasingly aware of the data realm,” McRae says. “That was one of my first ‘aha’ moments, and it's been an upward journey since then.”
The COOP Careers alumni community now comprises 57% women, so the organization has invested in more professional developments to support them, as well as creating more intentionality around representation. The visibility of more female-identifying panelists and mentors has been crucial in demonstrating what’s possible to the young women in the early stages of their STEM careers.
Williams, Shodiya and Whatley’s advice centers young STEM professionals and the actions they can take to persevere through the challenges that may be placed in their path. As Williams embarks on blending her passion for music with STEM, she recommends playing the long game with roles by checking out job descriptions a year in advance, “knocking off those qualifications on the job listing” and then applying down the line when your résumé aligns more closely with the position you want.
Shodiya and Whatley stress the importance of community and support, what they’ve found in each other through their podcast journey together. “It’s having a healthy balance of real life and lab life,” Shodiya says. “Having a good system of people that support you is indispensable. I can name all of those people right now for me, because I wouldn't be where I am without them.”
