Hello! I'm thrilled to be able to share my journey as 1 of 5 Global Winners of Microsoft's 2014 YouthSpark Challenge for Change!
www.youthsparkchallenge.com
As 1 of the 5 Global Winners, the Microsoft Corporation is funding my project Science for Success!
Science for Success began as my Girl Scout Gold Award project in September of 2010. I decided to encourage young girls to enjoy and explore science in everyday life and furthermore to consider careers in the STEM sciences. I had been in science fairs and advanced science and math classes since sixth grade, and I noticed as I grew older that there were fewer girls participating in these programs. I feel that it is very important for girls to play a significant role in developing our future by choosing careers in STEM. I want to show girls that they really do have potential to succeed in the sciences and should not give up! Women bring a unique perspective to science; encouraging young girls to engage with STEM will help foster a stronger female presence in the global science community, sparking change for the future.
I have been proud to promote science to show young girls that they can make a difference through STEM. Through my project, Science for Success, which involved over two-hundred hours of leadership, and is ongoing, I created a film interviewing twenty, notable female scientists in my region to introduce intriguing ways for young girls to enjoy science and explore science careers. The women in my film demonstrated that, despite the social biases or the challenges girls encounter in math or science, these struggles need not deter them from pursuing careers in STEM. Science for Success also promotes STEM sciences to members of professional organizations to demonstrate new ways to generate interest and passion for science among girls. Visiting groups of young girls, I do experiments with them to increase their confidence, helping them overcome gender stereotypes and cultural biases that might affect their performance in science.
The new Windows, with its faster start-up times, display of 4 apps simultaneously, and Explorer 11, optimizes Science for Success, helping me spark change more efficiently. With the new Office 365, I use: Publisher to create and update fun-flyers and promotional materials for Science for Success events; Word to make handouts that inform young girls of local science events and link them to online science resources; PowerPoint to present Science for Success to professional organizations; OneNote to teach girls to jot project information and career research; Excel to list scientists' contact information for young girls; Access to track girls' participation in events and share Excel files; Movie Maker to edit, compile, and publish clips online from the Science for Success film and help girls record and share their science ideas and projects; Skype to expand the mentoring network, making it possible for STEM role-model relationships to form worldwide.
I will be traveling to the Amazon this summer with the Microsoft Corporation to volunteer in local communities and experience nature. This will help me promote the scientific importance of preserving the environment to young girls. Learning about other cultures is important beyond the scientific sense; I will share information about the indigenous cultures in the Amazon with younger girls. Appreciating global communities and how their peoples can be helped through science will aid young girls in their own cell-like growth as they envision through STEM. The Windows Phone equipped with SkyDrive will help me keep Science for Success updated while I'm in the Amazon this summer and while I'm on the go.
At college this fall, I will use Microsoft funding to work with college groups, local professional organizations, schools, and libraries. I will promote science for girls and connect them with mentors. Representing Microsoft as a YouthSpark Ambassador will be an honor for me and an inspiration for many young girls.
