Photo: blackgirlscode.com
By: Jessica Dorcelien (’21), Staff Writer
“One of the things that I’ve been focused on as President is how we create an all-hands-on-deck approach to science, technology, engineering, and math… We need to make this a priority to train an army of new teachers in these subject areas, and to make sure that all of us as a country are lifting up these subjects for the respect that they deserve.”
— President Barack Obama, 3rd Annual White House Science Fair, April 2013
The term STEM has become an increasingly used title within education systems worldwide. A term that encompasses a variety of interests and professions, it has been used as a tool to expose young children to the unknown potentials of the STEM field while its affiliated programs have encouraged an increase in STEM professionals.
Although a widely encompassing term, many forget what kind of studies STEM includes. STEM represents the studies of chemistry, biochemistry, computer science, psychology, information technology, statistics, astronomy, biology, physics, and engineering, with each path of study leading to dozens of different professions and opportunities. With a passion for STEM, one could grow to become an astronaut or a surgeon, or a computer programmer or a statistician. According to CNBC’s Best Paying Jobs in America, eighteen of the twenty-five jobs best-paying jobs in America can only be achieved with the pursuit of a STEM degree which means that it is likely that those with a passion for STEM-related subjects have the potential to make a lot of money.
In recent years there has been an influx of encouragement for young boys and girls to become involved in STEM fields and professions because of its potential in becoming the backbone of our exponentially growing population. This widespread initiative can be partially attributed to President Barack Obama’s $240 million campaign “Educate to Innovate” that began in 2015 that continues to encourage young students, especially from disadvantaged backgrounds, with STEM education. In 2015, The Department of Education opened a $25 million grant competition aimed “to support the creation of science and literary-themed media that inspires children, especially those from low-income homes, to play and explore.” But since the establishment and success of these programs and campaigns, President Trump has promised a $9.2 billion spending cut for education for 2018 in what has been headlined as “The Trump Administration’s Slow But Steady Undoing of The Department of Education.”
With the threats of decreased funding to schools for after-school programs and classroom budget supplies, it is even more imperative to protect STEM initiatives. The exposure to and expansion of STEM starting at a young age is the only way that future generations will be able to easily adapt to a rapidly changing technological society.
Combatting the lack of women in STEM is a step forward for both STEM research and gender equality. (Women make up 47% of the U.S. workforce, but only 26% of the people who work in STEM. Luckily, the wage gap between women and men in STEM occupations is much smaller compared to other occupations; women earn $0.92 per every man’s $1 compared to $.077 to a man’s $1 in other fields.) And while it is no surprise that young girls are inspired by the successes of others, it is concerning that young girls of color have not always had the public representation needed to persuade them towards their academic potential. It has been only recently that movies and characters like Hidden Figures and The Black Panther’s Shuri (the 16-year-old sister of T’Challa, Princess of Wakanda, and designer of all of Wakanda’s advanced technology) have been far enough into the public eye to make a lasting impact on the professional choices of young girls of color.
For this past International Women’s Day, Prince Harry and soon-to-be Princess Meghan Markle used their platform to partner with an organization called the Stemettes, one of many organizations that are “showing the next generation that girls do Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) too.” Particularly within the United States, there has been an increase in STEM organizations for young girls of color. Organizations like Black Girls Code, FlyTechnista, and Latinas in STEM provide the mentorship that is imperative to the academic and personal growth of the young girls.
Similar to the founders of these large-scale organizations, students here at UNC have made it their goal to encourage and mentor young students. Co-founded by Miriam Chisholm and Phyllis Elliott, STEMinority is an organization directed by minority undergraduate students that “provides a platform for underrepresented students who may not have had a lot of exposure to the STEM fields [and, with that, the opportunity] to explore the different facets of each discipline.” Through this program, UNC students have the ability to uplift and motivate middle schoolers towards reaching their potential within the STEM fields by hosting students for half-day sessions where they will participate in activities that highlight the everyday usability and endless possibilities of STEM.
Elliott said she believes that “STEMinority is needed because representation matters [in STEM fields],” and I could not agree with her more.
