Our Mission

The gender disparity in STEM fields has been widely recognized, but few initiatives have been established at a younger age when girls decide what they want to pursue. We aim to empower and inspire girls through offering a variety of opportunities at the high school level. We hope that through this program, not only will there be an increased awareness of women's potential, but also that girls will be able to recognize their own.

Our Three Initiatives

Mentorship

We are working to increase representation on a large-scale, and we have found that mentorship offers an immediate and individual solution that allows high school girls to connect with personal role models. Often older and successful role models seem elusive in their nature as they're just slightly distant from our situation. Through matching high school girls with college students, we're fostering positive contact with realistic and tangible role models.

Networking

Networking events allow us to connect with several professors and professionals to give the girls a tangible idea of what it means to be a women in STEM. This initiative strikes a balance between both our members’ activism and personal interests. Modeled after versions that we've seen publicized, our networking events remain to be one of our most successful initiatives.

These events include dinners, potlucks, meetings, and panels with professors and professionals where we offer time to connect with people who could help you with your personal initiatives and projects and who are passionate about the same things as you. This is an amazing opportunity to advance your personal interests.

Outreach

Community outreach and civic engagement are a primary initiative of WiSTEM. The "leaky pipeline" issue starts long before high school, and so sometimes, girls don't even have the option to pursue STEM in the first place. In all of our different communities, our chapters look to give back and work with elementary school girls in underprivileged neighborhoods to ensure equal opportunity and stimulate interest.