We had the good fortune of connecting with Anika Singh and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anika, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
Girls in STEM believes that when girls dare to dream, they won’t just participate- they will lead, innovate and change the world. By encouraging young women to pursue careers in the field of STEM through workshops, mentorships, and networking, we not only address the gender gap in the STEM field but also inspire girls to think boldly and creatively. Girls in STEM equips members with the skills, confidence, and support they need to succeed in fields that are predominantly male. We provide a multitude of opportunities for girls to learn and hone technical skills such as coding, research and analysis alongside soft/interpersonal skills such as leadership, problem solving and communication. To maximize our reach and ensure our members are able to have access to these opportunities we host our signature annual expo.

Our annual Expo each year is a GIS-hosted, low-cost, accessible event for all in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. With this being our premier event, we go all out on gathering guest speakers, advertising across chapters, raffle prizes, and connecting with workshop collaborators and sponsors. This year, we are so thankful to have had CodeWiz Colleyville for their computer science workshop at the Expo, as well as the local Shark Robotics team. Our 2024 event was also sponsored by our local HEB, Chipotle, Cane’s, BAM Beauty, and Tiff’s Treats.

Our wonderful guest speakers were able to display to over sixty girls the potential for growth and leadership in quantum physics, entrepreneurship, engineering, IT, and data strategy, representing prominent and diverse companies.

Throughout the Board’s discussion with these speakers and the open Q/A with the attendees, many were inspired to be self-sufficient, daring, and opportunity-seeking: gaining timeless tips for networking, education, and navigating life as a driven woman in STEM.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
A 2019 study by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) found that only 18% of high school girls express strong interest in STEM careers, despite early childhood enthusiasm. To counteract this alarming statistic, Girls in STEM was founded in 2015 with the slogan “by girls, for girls,” as a nonprofit organization with a goal to close the gender gap across Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

To do so, we start by empowering young women starting at the high school age where this gap begins to form and where societal stereotypes and underrepresentation begins to appear. For nearly ten years, our organization has been spreading higher education and career insights globally across our 54 legacy and active chapters; doing so in collaboration with guest speakers, with STEM workshops, community service, and student-student mentorship.

In doing so, I’m humbled by our success in the community: both local to DFW and abroad. Thousands of members have been impacted by the opportunities that Girls in STEM seeks to provide on a basis that is tailored to each individual location, with strong local chapter leaders heading their chapters to further the mission.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
A great portion of Girls in STEM’s success can be attributed to Riya Pau and Jessica Sateesh, founding board members, who go above and beyond for the organization by mentoring the existing board members and dedicating a significant amount of their time to ensure the success of the organization and members. Their hard work and commitment to empowering young women in the field of STEM have been instrumental in making our initiatives impactful to our community. They have truly set an inspiring example of excellence within the STEM field and Girls in STEM both applaud and thank them for their unwavering dedication and support.

We would also like to thank our local chapters for their long-term commitment to GIS and their support of our initiatives. Likewise, we are immensely grateful for our officers and members across the globe for their involvement despite the thousands of miles between us.

Website: https://girlsinstemdfw.org

Instagram: girlsinstem_

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/girlsinstem/?viewAsMember=true

Image Credits
Roma Thakur

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