Step Into Stem (SiS): Exposing Girls to STEM Careers, an educational and career exploration event for young Latinas, led by Chica Project and BeVisible, will be held Sunday, March 20, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Bruce Bolling Building at 2300 Washington St. in Dudley Square. Jamaica Plain residents are invited and encouraged to attend.
Rooted in sisterhood and STEM, and leveraging the power of relationships and role models, SiS aims to expose Latina youth and their families to diverse careers through a dynamic panel of Latinas in STEM and mentors from diverse backgrounds from BeVisible, TECHNOLOchicas, the Association for Women in Science (AWIS) Massachusetts Chapter, Latino STEM Alliance, Harvard University and Lesbians Who Tech, among others.
After the success of Chica Project's Mentoring Circles and Next Generation Chica programs, which aim to build personal and professional development, we created this event to expose Chica mentees (and other youth in the community) to STEM career opportunities and to gather diverse professionals who are genuinely interested in bringing STEM to underserved youth who would otherwise not have such an opportunity.
Why expose Latina girls to STEM careers? According to the Pew Research Center, “the Latino population, already the United States’ largest minority group, will triple in size and will account for most of the nation’s population growth from 2005 through 2050. Hispanics will make up 29% of the U.S. population in 2050, compared with 14% in 2005.” Yet only 25% of Latino students are reaching Math proficiency and higher on MCAS tests versus 74% for Asian and 58% for non-Latino white students, and only 13% of Latino students are reaching proficiency or higher for the Science, Technology and Engineering test. Clearly, there is a need to prepare and engage Latino students in STEM.
For a peek at some of the event's panelists, see the flier below.
