For STEM, let's use the right messaging

Every year National Engineers Week takes place during the week that encompasses George Washington’s birthday. During this time, organizations around the country highlight careers in engineering and technology and how they impact the world around us.
As a representative of The DreamGirls Initiative, a nonprofit organization committed to closing the gender gap in STEM careers, I had the pleasure of attending “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day” at Picatinny Arsenal on February 22. This important event hosted over 100 high school girls from around New Jersey. It was truly inspiring to watch these young women open their minds to the variety of Engineering careers available to them.
Many of the students attending already had an interest in pursuing a technical degree and were involved in their high school’s STEM programs. Several discussions I had with the students highlighted a concerning trend that seems to be growing. In the interest of increasing the STEM pipeline, schools are creating STEM “academies” or a STEM track in high school, but they are being limited to only the highest achieving students. Having such programs is an important development, yet it seems the message we are sending is that STEM careers are only for an elite group of students.
I am not an educator and I understand that school districts are limited in their resources. What I have experienced over the last 30 years being involved in engineering is that messaging is a large part of encouraging - or discouraging – whether a girl wants to pursue her interest in more technical subjects. The beauty of pursuing engineering is that it’s a discipline that teaches you how to think, how to solve problems, and ultimately how to make real change in the way we move, communicate, and live. This type of education is not limited to only those who score highest on tests. I feel we are doing a disservice to our children if we are telling them they must be the best in order to pursue these careers with great opportunity.
I would encourage parents and those who work with children in any capacity to support them in exploring careers in engineering and programs that introduce them to STEM. I know in Sparta, even if they haven’t been accepted to a pre-determined track, many of those same classes are available to them, and the teachers are fantastic. The only way to ensure a diverse and sustainable STEM workforce is to provide the positive message that anyone can pursue engineering as an avenue to make our world better.
Rashmi Drummond
The DreamGirls Initiative