A letter to all Chattanooga middle school and high school girls:
Many of you have heard of me but not many of you may know exactly who I am. While I believe it's important to have an easy way to remember me, I don't feel I've had a fair shake about first impressions. I am not what you think; I'm better. I am in the clothes you wear, the makeup you apply, the car you dream about owning, the cell phone you use.
Wait, I'm more! When you think about getting to know me, some people may deter you and say, no, that's not a good fit for you, not a good fit for a young woman. You need to spend more time with others who are more like you. In fact, it's in your best interest to stick with what other girls are doing because that will benefit you later. If you've ever been curious about why you've been encouraged to stay away from me, I have been curious, too.
I have friends who are closely related to me. If you've ever enjoyed spending time painting or drawing, please know that's one of my favorite past-times. That awesome app on your cell phone and that unique cell phone case, hey, I made that happen! That flight to the Caribbean that's on your bucket list? That was me, too. If you have admired fashion or the beauty industry, I am the reason those industries are so successful. I wish you would give me a chance and get to know me.
I noticed last month while at the Chattanooga State Community College that many of you were curious about me but didn't feel like you had much in common with me. But I am confident that we have much in common; in fact, I need your help and your voice. I need you to know that you fit in with my kind, my clique and my style. You have the exact traits I'm looking for when it comes to an awesome long-term relationship. Yes, you are my kind of people!
Allow me to introduce myself: My name is STEM, an acronym for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. I need to see you in my world. I need to see someone just like you to help me spread the word about what I do. I need your brain, your ideas and your passion to improve the places that research, develop, test and produce everything from computer chips, cruise ships and bridges to clothing, televisions and cosmetics. Do you like makeup? Want to make it better? I need you to learn a little bit about chemistry. Do you love that luxury car you saw the other day? I need you to learn more about engineering and how to solve problems.
If you love to paint and draw, I'm confident you would love to weld and sketch drawings for a construction site. That dream vacation flight to the Caribbean? Yes, the route the plane flies, the turbine attached to the plane and the pilot flying it, yes, I need you involved in all of that.
I need you to see that I'm everywhere and in everything you love. And to make more of these things you love better, I need you to choose me, as I've chosen you.
Your friend,
STEM Career
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Last month during Engineer's Week, Chattanooga State offered STEM Day for Girls where several STEM-related experiences were offered to local middle and high school students. All of the sessions filled up within 48 hours. Several unique workshops were offered for the students to learn more about a career in STEM. For example, the students were exposed to 3D printing, quality control, radiation testing, civil engineering and computer science.
More than 400 girls from all over the region representing eight counties and 16 schools learned about the fundamentals of a STEM-related career through hands-on experiences.
When I witnessed the girls learning about 3D printing, I overheard these conversations: "How many minutes until one of these are made?" "This is cool. It's a robot making something in front of me." "This was fun. I didn't know I could do something like this." While participating in the radiation protection workshop, I got to witness dry ice being used to safely study radioactive emissions. When the facilitator asked for volunteers to witness the event, hands went up and the girls went right up to see what was happening. During the quality control workshop, the girls got to experience process wastes in a tennis ball game that simulated an assembly line. There was lots of laughter, but more importantly, engaged problem solvers.
I asked the girls how many of them could see themselves in careers like those. About half of the participants raised their hands. Then I asked how many of them believed they could do a career like those they had seen. Fewer hands were raised. When I asked them why, one girl said: "It's not a career that others would encourage us to do because it's not what girls do." But I saw rooms full of engineers, scientists, plant managers, chemists, robotics programmers, welders, problem solvers and architects that day. I believe these girls can do anything they choose. Showing up to learn about a STEM career was the first step in believing they can.
Sabrina L. Butcher is the chief executive officer and founder of Chattanooga-based LUCYdoes, LLC which develops executives/leaders on the human element of change management. Email her at Sabrina@lucydoes.com.