STEM: Poly sophomore girls take a trip to experience work in technical fields.
By Chloe Vega, Staff Writer
On Thursday, November 17, 34 Poly sophomore girls participated in the “Inspire Her Mind” program presented by Bourns Incorporated, a global manufacturer of automotive technology. Sophomore girls from Riverside Unified School District (RUSD) high schools such as Poly, Ramona, King, Lincoln, Arlington and North attended the event. Professional women with experience in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields as well as business career experience worked with the students to increase their awareness of opportunities in the STEM professions.
The event mainly focused on computer science and teaching the girls how this particular field could make an impact on their lives through hands-on experience. They were able to experiment with a few products of this field— testing virtual reality gear and using green screen technology. The virtual reality equipment gave the girls a tour of the life of coder Miral Kotb, founder of the company iLuminate. Kotb grew up dancing and coding, until she combined the two. Kotb is an authentic example of passion and talent to inspire the girls. The activities also exposed the girls to different jobs they could possibly work with. “I’m not really sure what I’d like to do with my future; this field trip allows me to experience new opportunities and be introduced to different possible careers,” Tori Siegmund Roberts (10) said. “Listening to the speakers gave me a lot of new insight about jobs that I didn’t know were available to me that I can consider,” Ashley Peterson (10) added.
Students also got to meet with Lea Deesing, Riverside’s Chief Innovation Officer, who manages 60 technology professionals that work behind the scenes with Riverside’s libraries, police and fire departments. Deesing talked to the girls about the opportunities and advantages they could have when working in STEM fields, and she explained different ways to problem solve and use their resources wisely. “I hope [the girls] are exposed to new ideas, including facing their fears. I hope they enjoyed being exposed to new experiences and learned more about the opportunities technical fields have to offer to them,” Deesing stated.
Poly sophomore girls will return to Bourns Incorporated in March for a follow-up class on leadership. Mr. Gordon Bourns is happy he can provide young girls with the opportunity to learn about different possible career choices. “I think it’s important to show students different first-hand applications of science and how you can take basic principles of science and transform them into ways to make life safer and more convenient,” Bourns said.