Women Tech Council program increases number of girls in STEM fields through role models and mentors
The Women Tech Council (WTC), a national organization focused on the economic impact of women in technology, has launched the SheTech Live Virtual Summit to activate high school girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). As the world grapples with the first female recession and a greater urgency to create opportunities for women, especially women in tech, SheTech propels girls towards STEM fields by giving them role models and mentors who help them see what STEM careers are like and give them a vision of what they can achieve.
Even as people across the country remain physically distanced, these connections inspire girls’ future decisions about careers and opportunities.
“From our work activating thousands of girls across the country into STEM fields, we have repeatedly seen that one of the most important things to alter a girls’ trajectory and expand her vision of what’s possible for herself is to give her a role model who can show her what she can become,” said Cydni Tetro, president of WTC. “Showing these girls strong women creating new technologies, leading companies and doing fascinating things in STEM alters the path of their lives, their families, their communities, the entire technology sector, and the global economy.”
This Summit brings together thousands of high school girls, hundreds of industry mentors and several leading technology companies for mentor interactions and live career workshops. Through these opportunities, the Summit helps students see the need for them in technology careers and the unparalleled opportunities to create impact working in these fields. The Summit will also allow students to share their passions for STEM with a student-made workshop competition and a celebration for graduating seniors showing off their accomplishments in SheTech and STEM.
This year’s virtual summit included remarks from female STEM leaders and role models including:
- Michelle Amos, a NASA engineer responsible for the Perseverance Mars rover
- Zehra Syeda, a leader at Amazon Web Services leading the largest cloud platform
- Wendy Williams, an executive at Northrop Grumman leading the future of aerospace
- Leoni Markgraf, an executive at The Odom Corporation responsible for the technology that bottles Coca Cola
- Lynda Pak, an executive at Estee Lauder pioneering a new technology-enabled shopping experience
In past years, SheTech has included large, in-person gatherings for girls to connect. This year’s virtual Summit provided a live experience where high school girls across the state and region can join together at the same time, have a shared experience, and get insights that help them see how their dreams can be accomplished with technology.
Since launching eight years ago, SheTech has activated more than 20,000 girls to pursue STEM fields. In addition to the Summit, SheTech provides girls year-round opportunities to engage in STEM through mentor and role model connections, industry internships, help connecting with STEM resources in their school and district and information about college scholarships. This continued exposure and integration with industry helps give them the resources and support to launch successful careers.
The SheTech Virtual Summit is sponsored by Adobe, Ancestry, Comcast, Dealertrack, Dell Technologies, Vivint. www.shetechexplorer.com
About Women Tech Council:
Women Tech Council (WTC) is a national organization focused on the economic impact of women in the technology sector through developing programs that propel the economic pipeline from high school K-12 to the C-suite. WTC offers mentoring, visibility, opportunities and networking to more than 10,000 women and men working in technology to create business environments focused on inclusivity and high performance. Through this work, WTC propels women in technology careers and the talent pipeline by ensuring a strong, diverse and entrepreneurial technology workforce. www.womentechcouncil.com.
