EXPERIENCE: The “Inspire her Mind” event promotes STEM awareness and leadership development for high school girls.
By Kate Santoso, Staff Writer
The “Inspire her Mind” event targets sophomore high school students who have the potential for leadership and recognize the importance of Science, Technology Engineering, and Math (STEM) as part of their future success. Dr. Pamela Clute, the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Educational and Community Engagement and a mathematics professor at University of California, Riverside (UCR), and Lynn Carmen Day, chief academic officer at Riverside Unified School District (RUSD), organized the “Inspire her Mind” conference as they held an interest in motivating girls to consider STEM fields of study. Two sessions were necessary to ensure all girls from RUSD high schools could engage in every activity offered. The first session took place on November 18, 2015 at Bourns Incorporated Technology Center on UCR’s campus.
We went to school that morning with the exciting prospect of engaging in hands-on math and science activities for the school day. Once we arrived at Bourns, Poly students mixed with the large, diverse crowd of girls from all RUSD high schools. Only then did I recognize the genuine, keen interest many girls possess for math and science. The conference began with a lecture from Clute. The professor began her presentation by addressing the girls with a realistic fact. “You are the bright stars of the future,” Clute said.
With a motivating, enduring promise, we rotated from table to table and engaged in discussions with college students training for STEM careers. This was the most memorable activity as we were given advice to overcome later obstacles in life. It was amazing to see so many girls come together to endorse the math and science fields while sharing their life stories with the Poly attendees. “The speakers really inspired me to feel comfortable in my own skin as a successful woman in the future,” Jocelyn Rausten (10) expressed.
In addition to conversing with college students and professors, we rotated to different stations and explored various scientific experiments and projects. I was blown away by how many adults cared about our future success, and I realized we need these role models to serve as inspirations for us to look up to and motivate us to work hard. We were given the option of doing an experiment in a physical lab at Bourns, so we would have a more realistic approach of science as a profession. Currently, women represent 52% of the labor force growth, which is why I firmly believe girls should acquire innovative skills that come hand-in-hand with STEM careers. Unfortunately, there has always been a paucity of people with the will to work in the STEM fields. “Hopefully, ‘Inspire her Mind’ will open their eyes to the numerous amount of jobs available in the STEM fields that will be needed in the future,” Patricia Miller, a Poly guidance counselor, stated.
The second session hosted on February 17, 2016 began with the Gallup Leadership Strengths Survey, which determines a person’s top five strengths. I found this highly beneficial because effective leaders continuously utilize their strengths. After all, these successful student leaders will become successful adult leaders. The fact that “Inspire her Mind” encouraged leadership as well as the increasingly rising math and science focus makes its influence more far-reaching than ever. At a workshop, we talked to four different women leaders who gave advice and told their personal stories. A woman then explained and interacted with the girls to explain their strengths and how to use them to their benefit. The second session concluded with exercises that required the students to take charge and learn what it meant to be a leader. One nonverbal exercise was the challenge of turning a mat upside down without stepping off the mat itself. “The experience was worth it, as I enjoy getting to know myself better,” Trinity Long (10) noted.
The “Inspire her Mind” event motivated girls, including myself, to expand beyond their horizons and dive into world leadership, discovery, and innovation with continued exploration in STEM fields. The days when girls did not possess any interest or capability to pursue STEM careers are over. After an eye-opening experience at the “Inspire her Mind” conference, I recognized the intellectual bravery and superb leadership, once suppressed in girls, now ready to shine. “RUSD high school girls are loaded with potential, and a little extra exposure to possibilities can truly make them the next generation of doers, thinkers, and leaders who will contribute to our region, our state, and our nation,” Clute concluded.