(above) New Providence Middle School Student Sriya Tallapragada aims to close the gender gap in STEM.
Close the Gender Gap in STEM
“When I was in school, I started realizing how few girls were involved in STEM: Science, Tech, Engineering, and Mathematics,” explained Sriya Tallapragada, an 8th grader at New Providence Middle School. “When I went online, I was shocked to find out that this was not just a coincidence… There was a very obvious gender gap in these fields. That’s when I decided that I had to do something about it.”
Tallapragada said she spent part of her summer designing and building her nonprofit, #Girls Who STEAM, as her way of doing something about these statistics. #Girls Who STEAM is built on the mission to close the gender gap in STEAM by making it fun and interesting for girls.
#Girls Who STEAM’s first event, the Trailblazer Essay Contest, is meant for girls between the ages of 8-11. Girls are encouraged to write about their favorite female trailblazer whose impact has helped female rights to this day. The contest is on-going and will be open until December 31, 2019. For more information, visit girlswhosteam.com/Trailblazer.
Tallapragada hopes to expand into workshops that engage girls in STEM activities.
