Sarah Kumar earned her Bachelor’s degree in Economics from UCLA (University of California at Los Angeles). She is a systems analyst in the finance industry, which combines her passion for economics and technology. Below she shares a little about her career and the inspiration behind it.
What is your specific area of STEM? Economics and Information Technology How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? I work with software applications and systems for Finance users. What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? Problem solving skills, wanting to try something new, likes Lego, likes puzzles. What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? I did not know much about my field as a child. Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? After working in 2 different companies for about 7 years, I started having interest in working with software systems/applications for Finance users. What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on? We get to customize software and build business rules so that users will have less work or calculations to do. What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? Believe in yourself. Thank you for contributing, Sarah!
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Rumman Chowdhury is a data scientist specializing in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI). In addition to her own cutting edge work, Rumman serves as an advisor for several technology (AI) startups and is a global speaker. She holds degrees from MIT, Columbia University and the University of California, San Diego. Here she shares a little about her career in technology and the inspiration behind it. What is your specific area of STEM? Data Science, Artificial Intelligence How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? I find the coolest technology to figure out the best way to improve people's lives. What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? Creativity, curiosity, desire to learn, ability to work well in teams and alone, thinks ‘big picture’ about the results of a project. What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? I didn't know anything about it! In fact, it didn't exist when I was a kid. All I knew was that I liked doing research and figuring things out. I read a lot of books. A lot. In everything, not just science. I would wander the library and pick up books that looked interesting to me. I also had teachers who encouraged me to learn and explore. Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? I came here on my own. I've always liked data and numbers and explaining human behavior using this data. I was in graduate school when the field I'm in - data science - became popular. It was scary, but I left my grad program early to become a data scientist AND finish my PhD at the same time. What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on? Oh man, what don't we do? Data scientists use data to make things that customize to your life. We are the people who show you the next movie you'll like, or pick out the songs you might want to listen to. We help make self-driving cars and build the world of the future! What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? Work your hardest, be your best, and support other girls around you. Thank you for contributing, Rumman! Linda van der Pal earned her Information Systems degree from the University of Amsterdam. Here she shares a little about her career and the inspiration behind it. What is your specific area of STEM? IT (Information Technology) How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? Everybody uses computers, phones and tablets. When you work in IT, you help to make that possible. All computers need programs to tell them what to do. As a programmer you are the one to tell the computer what it should do. What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? A love to solve puzzles, a desire to help people or a desire to improve the world. What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? We got our first personal computer when I was 11. Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? Being able to control computers seemed like an awesome ability. Then later on I saw everybody in high school doubting what they wanted to do, so I stuck with computer science. And never regretted it since. What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on? Creating games, programming robots (for example the machine that collects your suitcase at the airport). What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? With an education in IT, you can work anywhere at all! Travel companies, big banks, gaming companies, or even Google! Thank you for contributing, Linda! Kristine Holloway is a teacher and founder of Code4Girlz (Ontario, Canada). Here she shares a little about her passion for introducing girls to the world of coding, and the inspiration behind it. What is your specific area of STEM? Coding/Making How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? Code4Girlz is a club that encourages girls and young women to pursue careers and passions in Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Math (STEAM). Code4Girlz are early adopters and trailblazers. They can often be seen making, coding, designing and co-creating in the large open and bright design workshop space. What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? Children that enjoy logic puzzles, experimenting, creating, inventing and innovating. Games may include Code-a-Pillar, Scratch Jr., LittleBits, MakeyMakey, RaspberryPi, GoldieBlox, Sphero, Dash and Dot Robots, just to name a few. Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? I have always been passionate about technology and I wanted to help inspire a new generation of girls to be the same, but ultimately I was inspired by Hadi Partovi, the founder of Hour of Code movement. After a GoogleHangout with Hadi Partovi I was truly bothered by the fact that while girls and women are avid users of technology, they are significantly underrepresented in its creation. I believe strongly that this lack of participation of girls in this ever growing field can have serious consequences for technological innovation, if we let it continue. In learning to code, girls can be empowered to take control of the types of games they want to play and they can begin creating other applications designed specifically for girls and women globally. Code4Girlz was founded to help close the tech gender gap and to encourage young women to be brave, and to create the future we want: a better world for girls and women globally to live in. What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? Computers and technology have always been a part of my life. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been passionate about technology. Ever since I was a little girl I can recall playing Cabbage Patch on ColecoVision, E.T. on Atari (although I never could figure out how to get him to phone home) and I was one of a few from my generation that was able to play on a Commodore 64 and had access to HAM radio operator equipment. When the Nintendo came out, the whole family got into the car for Christmas vacation in Buffalo, New York. I can recall the excitement of un-boxing Mario and Duck Hunt! In school, I can remember the excitement of Oregon Trail, Number Cruncher, and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? on the Apple computers. Design and technology class was also a favourite of mine. I recall designing a pin hole camera and then processing the black and white film in the dark room. I also made a clock, puzzle and train during middle school. In Family Studies, I learned how to sew on a machine and by hand. At home, I enjoyed learning sign language, drawing blueprints, designing new fashions and inventing new things, such as the world's largest globe, made out of hula-hoops and a hand drawn map taped together and wings cut out of cardboard and tied onto the arms for human flight. More recently, as an adult, I have become passionate about space research. I attended an Educator's Conference at the Canadian Space Agency and Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama. What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on? Girls in coding experience the latest in technology. They are early adopters and trailblazers. They enjoy 3D Printing, RaspberryPi, MakeyMakey, micro:Bit, just to name a few. Many fabulous creations, including new websites, wearables, bedroom and furniture designs, vlogs (video blogs), Pixar-quality animations and videos, websites and new innovative ideas and creations start with coding! What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? Be brave, not perfect. Dare to do something different. Dream BIG. Fail Forward. Make EPIC Mistaeks. Thank you for contributing, Kristine! (Follow the cool stuff happening at Code4Girlz on Twitter) Morgan Vickery is pursuing her degree in Computer Science degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Here she shares a little about her career and the inspiration behind it. What is your specific area of STEM? Computer Science How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? I study how to write instructions that computers can understand, interpret, and use to create programs. What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? Personally, I always enjoyed puzzles, strategy games, Risk, poker, card games, video games, and all sorts of brain teasers! What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? I knew nothing! Nobody in my family was really involved in STEM - I discovered it after I came to college. Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? I was struggling to find something that I was passionate about. I was always very left-brained but enjoyed the arts, so when I accidentally enrolled myself in an 'Introduction to Programming' course, I felt like a whole new world of academia and creation had been opened up to me! I found computer science to be the perfect balance of logic and inspiration. What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on? You can make video games, make tools for students with learning/cognitive disabilities, program robots, and help people in other fields make groundbreaking research! What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? Those who pursue STEM fields have SO many doors open to them to help people! With a STEM degree, you can truly make a difference in the world around you! Thank you for contributing, Morgan! Heather Crew is pursuing her degree in Computer Science degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Here she shares a little about her career and the inspiration behind it. What is your specific area of STEM? Computer Science How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? I study how algorithms work and how to create things like games and tools through computers. What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? Aptitude for problem solving and understanding of patterns. Also, perseverance in the face of difficulty or challenges. What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? Nothing! I thought I wanted to work in the humanities before I got to college. Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? I took an intro to programming class my first semester on campus and fell in love. What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on? Making games, online trackers, and fun ways to communicate with people around the world. What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? Believe that you can do it, not because anyone is telling you to -- but because you actually can! Thank you for contributing, Heather! Jordan Dodson is pursuing her degree in Computer Science with a minor in Information Systems from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Here she shares a little about her career and the inspiration behind it. What is your specific area of STEM? Computer Science and Information Science What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? Quick to learn how to use technology, interest in technology customization, interest in how technology works. What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? My dad worked in IT and helped me build my first computer. Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? I liked working with computers. What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on? Make apps and games! What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? Keep going even when it seems hard/impossible. Thank you for contributing, Jordan! Taylor Howard earned her degree in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Here she shares a little about her career and the inspiration behind it. What is your specific area of STEM? Statistics, Computer Science How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? I analyze numbers and try to identify trends or patterns. What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? Loving math, solving problems. What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? I knew there were accountants and mathematicians but not much beyond that with math. I was inspired by NUMB3RS, a television show where the main character is a mathematician. Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? Math was my favorite subject in school. What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on? Attend hackathons, go to conferences, get a glimpse of new technology. What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? Keep trying no matter what! Thank you for contributing, Taylor! Victoria Miller is pursuing her degree in Computer Science and Mathematical Decision Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Here she shares a little about her career and the inspiration behind it. What is your specific area of STEM? Business, with concentrations in finance and consulting How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? I make programs that do all sorts of cool things such as helping other people have better lives or things that help others have fun! What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? Strategy games What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? I realized I was really good at math and loved it. It made a lot of sense to me and I was the best in my class at it so it made me feel good about myself. Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? I took computer science as a prerequisite for my major and realized it was something I truly enjoyed. What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on? I made a Chrome extension that helps disabled people that don't have full function of their hands use Facebook. Others have done things like create their own servers for Minecraft. Some people have done artificial intelligence to make software more like humans! What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? Be brave! Perfection is not the goal. Struggling is going to happen, and trial and error is what makes some of the world's best things! I always struggle which makes me feel even better when I finally get it. It's a great reward! Thank you for contributing, Victoria! Paula Gomez earned her Master’s degree in Architecture, Design Computing from Georgia Tech, and her Architect Degree from Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María (Chile). She is also a Fulbright Scholar and Ph.D. Candidate. Here she shares a little about her career and the inspiration behind it. What is your specific area of STEM? Architecture, Design Computing How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? Pushing the world forward. What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? Questioning the world, trying to understand how something works, play by implementing mechanisms. What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? Nothing. I just explored and tried to learn myself. Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? Just curiosity and movies. What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on? I am from Chile, and working for NASA has been a dream come true. What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? Be always open minded and creative to approach every problem, and you will see that the limits are not where people tell you. Thank you for contributing, Paula! Nicole Kosoris earned her Master’s Degree in Computer Science from Southern Polytechnic State University and her BA in Mathematics from Thomas Edison State University. Here she shares a little about her career and the inspiration behind it. What is your specific area of STEM? Computer Science How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? I make games that help doctors diagnose medical conditions. I also make tools that use your thoughts to control things, like quad copters. What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? Determination! Problem solving ability. A desire to build, with or without instructions, or design/plan. An interest in science fiction or fantasy. Creative play with toys where they overcome challenges or build things. What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? I knew nothing about my field as a child. I had some exposure to computers, but didn't regularly use one until High School. I was strongly discouraged (often) from pursuing interests or careers in computing. Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? Because I loved books about magic, and programming is basically real-world magic spells. What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on? My projects are pretty cool. I build virtual reality games to help doctors diagnose medical problems like concussions or Alzheimer's. I also get to fly quad copters with my brain. What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? If you're passionate enough about anything, you can make a career out of it. Find what makes you happy to do, and then do it. Thank you for contributing, Nicole! Kelly Stevens earned her Master's Degree in Mathematics from Virginia Tech. Here she shares a little about her career and the inspiration behind it. What is your specific area of STEM? Quantum Computers How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? I'm working to figure out to make a new kind of computer. I solve tricky interesting problems all day long. I love computer programming. What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? A child that is proud to solve "difficult" puzzles (like word search or sudoku) might have an early aptitude. Another indicator would be stubborn persistence because this turns into an ability to focus on one tough problem for a long time. What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? As a very young child my father let me "help him" fix the car, tinkering on the computer, fix things around the house, build a business. His willingness to teach me these things indicated to me that there was no gender barrier. He also taught me the value of hard work by employing me in his landscaping business from age 10-18. Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? By middle and high school I was doing well in math. My initial choice of STEM for a field coming out of high school was mainly driven by desire to have stable finances as an adult. What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on? We play with lasers. What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? Scientists need a lot of creativity. Many women are naturally creative, so it's great to be able to bring that to the workplace. The best part about doing science is that you are creating something that is both beautiful (creative) and useful. It feels great to discover something new every day. Thank you for contributing, Kelly! Ashley Beavers earned her MS degree in Computer Science from Georgia Tech and her BS degree in Computer Science from Kennesaw State University. Here she shares a little about her career and the inspiration behind it. What is your specific area of STEM? Computer Science How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? I build things with words and numbers and pictures. What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? Crafting, building things, drawing. What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? Nothing. I was required to take a CS (computer science) course in college and loved it. I changed my major to that eventually. Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? I loved the organization of it. I loved working with spreadsheets in high school, and CS seemed like a natural extension of that. What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on? Software project managers get to design beautiful and complex tools and games that lots of people get to use. They get to work with robots and tiny devices. They get to make software fun and beautiful. What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? The world is full of possibility and STEM careers let you be in the midst of exciting new work and fun, challenging people. It is incredibly rewarding to work with a team who makes me grow and helps build something we are all proud of. Thank you for contributing, Ashley! Gina Holden earned her computer engineering degree from Georgia Tech. Here she shares a little about her career and the inspiration behind it. What is your specific area of STEM? Computer Engineering How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? Software Engineers make computers able to understand what we want them to do. We take a human explanation of a problem and make machines able to solve it. What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? Interest in math and logic. Analytical thinking skills. Interest and aptitude for algorithms and data structures and organization. What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? Not much! I was always good at math and science so I went to a STEM high school where I received a broad exposure to many types of engineering. Only by doing a few different internships in high school in different fields (medicine, aviation, and then finally software) was I able to find my passion. Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? I did not know anyone in software! I didn't even understand it was a career option until the summer before I went to college during an internship with a software company. This work was interesting to me so I took a chance and chose a major. Luckily it was a good fit! What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on?
What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? Technology is the future of everything and we need the smartest, brightest people working on solutions. We can never win if we leave half of those minds behind. {Everyone knows girls are smarter than boys :)} Thank you for contributing, Gina! |
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