This year marks the seventh celebration of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. This day is focused on bringing recognition to the critical role women and girls play in STEM and promoting efforts to achieve gender equality in science.
In honor of today, we chatted with Brittany Christian, director in our Dallas office, to learn more about her involvement with Girls Inc of Tarrant County. Girls Inc inspires girls to be strong, smart, and bold. This is translated into programs that encourage health, education, career readiness, and independence. Their programs encourage involvement in STEM and STEM-focused careers.
Q: Tell us about the organization you are involved in and how it is related to STEM.
A: I have the honor of serving on the Board and as a Champion for Girls Inc. of Tarrant County. One of the ways the organization accomplishes its mission is through comprehensive STEM programming that focuses on providing access and exposure to careers in STEM across different industries as well as a multi-year, experiential learning cohort.
Q: How can you encourage younger girls to be more exposed and interested in STEM?
A: Stay unapologetically curious. I’d encourage girls to be bold in asking questions to the people around them. It’s easy to overlook the many variations of STEM applications and career paths when we limit our conversations and thinking to traditional jobs: doctor, engineer, teacher. There are careers and fields you haven’t heard of yet that could be just the right intersection of passion and natural gifts.
Q: How can other companies get involved with Girls Inc. to promote STEM?
A: Girls Inc. of Tarrant County is really focused on opening doors and creating opportunities that the girls of Tarrant County wouldn’t otherwise have. So, think about if your company can host an experience day in your facility – what area of STEM are you considered “best in class” and how can you invest four hours in teaching the Girls Inc. girls about it. Some other ideas include group mentoring or leadership panels with women focused on STEM. This allows girls to ask questions and learn about different career paths.
Q: How do you use your STEM knowledge in your career right now?
A: My projects are often focused on business-led technology transformations that require me to understand the capabilities of various technology solutions across a company. We then partner with the business and IT teams to align to what the business is trying to accomplish and then manage through to implementation.