Recently, I had the opportunity to speak to a group of 3rd-5th grade girls about my journey to S.T.E.M. I was tasked with inspiring them to pursue a career in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics(S.T.E.M.) once they graduate from High School.
I am always nervous when talking to anyone but especially when talking to young people. I never know when to start my story. Do I start from when I was 5 or 6 when my parents got me and my sister our first computer and the game on it intrigued me? Do I fast-forward to high school when I was one out of x students selected to do the oracle database course to hopefully be certified to work on databases? Or do I fast-forward to senior year of high school when I decided I wanted to go to culinary arts school because I loved baking more than computers? Do I talk about being the only woman Computer Science student in my program at my undergraduate college I attended?
So many places to start! That is what goes through my head when I have to talk to secondary school aged students. Finding the right balance of “it’s not all peaches and cream yet it is fulfilling and rewarding if you stick it out.”
I decided to start with the parents got me and my sister a computer when I was younger and that sparked my interest of computers. I also discussed how there were not many female role models who I knew that were in S.T.E.M. and how I finally had a programming teacher in High School, Ms. Riley, who inspired me to truly want to pursue computer science. She was the Visual Basics programming teacher at my high school, she made me believe that I could be a programmer.
I did skip over the whole wanting to go to a culinary arts institute after high school instead of, in my mom words, pursing a ” real” degree first. Not saying being a pastry chef is not a real degree, let me tell you after my mother saw how much food network stars were making she had to apologize to me lol!
My journey to S.T.E.M. as I told the students was not always great. I was the only woman in my graduating class in undergrad, I had to beat the odds and stick with it even when I wanted to give up and throw in the towel. In the end I found a passion equal to baking. Therefore, I was able to persevere through all of the trials and tribulations associated with that journey because of that passion. I went on to fall madly in love with Cyber Security so when I went for my Master’s degree I decided to specialize in Information Assurance.
So my advice to any underrepresented person in S.T.E.M. is to not give up, push onward and know you can make it through. You may have to put your blood, sweat and tears into it but it will be well worth it!
Your Ally In S.T.E.M.,
Lit Hope L