My Story

Most of my male friends would say that my gender hasn’t affected my experience in STEM. Many of them would say it hasn’t affected my lived experience at all. I, however, am fairly certain that none of those friends have had their math coach excitedly approach them to say that it was ‘so rare’ to get to teach someone of their gender as good at math as they were. I am also fairly certain that none of them have felt the discomfort of going to their first science olympiad practice only to feel acutely uncomfortable because they were one of only three people of their gender in the room. Simply put, they don’t have the first hand experience to know how wrong they are.

Being a girl interested in STEM, I’ve faced more obstacles than I can count. I have had to challenge assumption after assumption made about me, and I’ve often failed at eliminating the stereotypes people associate with me. From the boy in my 6th grade class who told me that I shouldn’t talk as much as my male counterparts in class debates to the member of a math team who said I couldn’t be happy without a boyfriend to the coding camp where I had to get one of the boys in my group to walk me to the bathroom, my ambition has led to some of the most humbling experiences of my life.

However, if I’m being honest, the previous statement is a grave oversimplification. Being a girl who loves STEM has helped me make some of my best friends. From late nights spent playing For The Win! To hours spent laboring over science problems in crowded cafeterias, science and math have been responsible for some of my favorite memories. Through STEM’s gentle guidance, I have learned so much about teamwork, perseverance, and dedication, and I hope I never stop loving the feeling of solving problems. Being a girl interested in subjects like these is at times isolating, and certainly comes with its fair share of adversity, but I wouldn’t trade the world for the thrill of each ‘Aha’ moment or the satisfaction at the end of a late night study session. At the end of the day, I am a girl who loves STEM, and I hope beyond hope that fact never changes.