Julie 1 - Women in S.T.E.M

My AP Chemistry Class

As a girl interested in S.T.E.M subjects I have always looked upon women scientists as role models. Two of my all-time favorite women scientists are Marie Curie Skłodowska and Mary Jackson. Marie Curie Skłodowska was the first woman to receive a Noble Prize and altogether she received two Nobel Prizes - her first one for Physics (1903) and her second one for Chemistry (1911). Mary Jackson was the first-ever black female engineer at NASA. Both women pushed past the boundaries of gender and made amazing accomplished in the name of science. 

What truly inspires me though is my AP Chemistry class. Every school day at 11:06 a.m. nine women get together to share their love and passion for chemistry. My class consists of our teacher, Mrs. Tina Keim, and eight female students including myself. What was once a male-dominated class has become female-dominated and I am proud to be a part of this group.

At the beginning of the school year, we were able to share our possible career choice. Every girl in my class named a career that involved one or more parts of the S.T.E.M acronym. Though, a majority of the answers were included in the medical field, ranging from researchers to surgeons. I want to become a trauma surgeon in one of the three branches of the military. This decision was not one easily made, but I was inspired by the work of Red Cross nurses during both world wars. 

Imagine the possibilities of firsts that can happen because of those who inspire us. One of eight girls in my Chemistry class could be the first to find a general cure for cancer because of Mrs. Keim’s inspiration. Girls around the world are inspired to push past gender boundaries, to crash the proverbial glass ceiling, and to accomplish the unexpected because of women like Marie Curie Skłodowska, Mary Jackson, and the many others who did not tell them that something is “not for girls.”