STEM Awareness and Education Program for Young Girls

AUSTIN, Texas — Despite systematic barriers and biases, efforts continue in order to create an inclusive workforce in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

Women make up 28% of the workforce in STEM fields, while Latinas make up less than 3%.

Georgia Hernandez graduated from the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders in 2015, an all-girls campus that aims to spark interest in STEM fields.

"You have young minds asking 'Is that what I want to do when I grow up?' and raising their hands and asking questions," said Hernandez.

But to venture into any STEM industry, the girls first have to be aware of the possibilities "We teach the girls that they don't have to be a doctor, or a lawyer if they go to college", said Ana Josephson, a teacher at Ann Richards.

"Maybe it’s because of our culture that we don’t know much about these career options," said Beatriz Castillo, program manager of the non-profit organization Latinitas, whose mission is to create a greater pool of young girls as STEM talent.

However, there is a shift.

"The conversation is definitely there, and so I think that's changing the vibe and culture behind stem-related fields", said Josephson.

More than half of the students at Ann Richards are pursuing a career in STEM, and most of them are, the first in their families to go to college.

"We are setting the building block and the path for the generations that come after us. we are a part of building that future", said Hernandez.