Fueling Ambition: Empowering Girls (And All Students) In STEM

I have been fortunate and deliberate to seek out both male and female mentors to help me grow along my academic and career journeys. In my role today, I have the honor of working with some of the brightest engineers and scientists, mentoring the next generation of women STEM leaders, and demonstrating that STEM is for everyone. I’m fortunate to work alongside colleagues who share may passion. Thermo Fisher colleagues are incredibly engaged in making a difference in their communities. Last year, our colleagues volunteered 120,000 hours and reached 85,900 students and 4,800 educators (including BGCA) through STEM programming. When students and Club kids engage with our diverse colleagues, it not only builds their confidence in pursuing STEM, but it also connects them with supportive professionals who look like them or share their life experience. Seeing themselves in STEM careers is a critical factor to students pursuing and persisting with STEM learning.

Boys & Girls Clubs girls have especially benefited from interacting with volunteers and mentors who help them explore the world of STEM. I was particularly moved by Club kid Alexandra B.’s story – one that is all too familiar. Before she developed an excitement for STEM discovery, she believed that math and science simply weren’t for girls. Though she performed well in those subjects, she felt that exploring other interests would help her “fit in better” with her peers. A programming class at Alexandra’s Waltham Boys & Girls Club, however, changed her perception of STEM. “I realized there is science and math behind almost everything we do – like how algorithms work for TikTok,” the seventh-grader says. “More importantly, I realized that girls can do whatever they want to do. If I want to be interested in something, I can be.”

I was also thrilled to learn the story of sixth-grade Club kid Nicolly S., another Waltham Club kid who saw STEM in a new light with the help of her role model, Ms. Sophia. Nicolly says, “Ms. Sophia helps me with understanding problems and motivates me to work harder. STEM is different here at the Club: the learning environment is fun and allows me to have an open mind and not worry about getting something ‘right’ or ‘wrong.’ I just focus on learning or making something new.”

My most influential role model was my aunt. She worked at a nonprofit whose scientific research supported the development of improved agricultural outcomes, particularly for populations experiencing food insecurity. I was enamored with seeing her go to work each day as well as seeing how science and genetics were being used to solve a real-world problem. My aunt’s example transformed science from a theoretical school subject to a practical life utility. Following in my aunt’s footsteps, I majored in genetics and chemistry before receiving a PhD in biochemistry and spending two decades in the biotech field.

Today, one of the ways I engage in mentorship is by co-leading a program for women across research and development organizations at Thermo Fisher called Female ColLAB. The program is sponsored by our Chief Scientific Officer and our goal is to create a networking and mentoring circle for women leaders to develop the skills and tools to focus on their career growth and increase their impact within the company. We are in the second year of this program, and we are already hearing stories of positive impact from colleagues who participate.