Assisted by Nets, Liberty, Digital Girl aims to erase disparity in STEM

Michelle Gall is holding back tears.

She’s overcome with emotion, watching her dream finally materialize into reality.

That dream was finding a home for Digital Girl, Inc., a technology hub for Brooklyn’s Black youth created with the sole purpose of attacking the disparity in job opportunities for people of color in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.

The numbers paint a complete story: only 2% of jobs in science and engineering are held by Black women.

“I ended up starting my career late in life because I just didn’t get the exposure that I felt I should have gotten, or the support that I should have gotten that led me down the path that I ultimately went,” Gall, the founder of Digital Girl told the Daily News. “When I ended up doing that, I asked myself, ‘Why is that the case?’ And I started doing some research and just realized that people of color, and women of color in particular are just underrepresented in STEM fields right now.”

And as of Tuesday, Digital Girl is officially based on the top floor of the Major R. Owens Health and Wellness Community Center (formerly known as the Bedford Union Armory) in Crown Heights at the intersection of Bedford Avenue and Union St.

The new center, however, didn’t come without a struggle. Gall said the banks turned her down for a grant because, to them, the idea of a technology center was far too grand, far too “large-scale”.

She needed an assist from a local juggernaut — and the Brooklyn Nets, in conjunction with financial company Webull, were happy to throw a dime.

“We are proud to have partnered with Digital Girl to develop the new technology hub as a way to better support our local New York community,” said Webull CEO Anthony Denier. “We have always been committed to improving financial literacy and empowering the next generation of investors, and providing educational resources for underserved communities in Brooklyn marks a crucial step forward.”

BSE Global, the Nets and Liberty’s parent company, teamed up with Webull to fund Digital Girl with a $250,000 grant. The money brought to life Gall’s vision for a technology hub: The Major Owens Center now has a room flooded with state-of-the-art desktop Macs, PCs, and even a 3D printer.

“One of the larger ways in which the Nets align with Digital Girl is our shared commitment to serving the Brooklyn community,” said BSE Global CEO Sam Zussman. “DGI is doing incredible work to increase representation of women and people of color in STEM professions and their work is more important than ever. We are proud to have played a part in launching this technology center alongside our partners at Webull, whose remarkable work strives to break barriers in the STEM industry.”

Representatives from BSE Global — the parent company for the Nets and New York Liberty — sat in the front row of the community center’s auditorium while speakers shared Digital Girl’s vision. Two notable guests included Nets sharpshooter Joe Harris and Liberty forward Michaela Onyenwere.

The two pro hoopers were all smiles and sat front row as at least 50 Black kids shuttled into the room as the new tech center was set to unveil. Onyenwere, a 23-year-old Nigerian-American, fits the mold.

“I see myself as who the Digital Girl organization is trying to target,” Onyenwere told The News. “I think it’s such a great idea to be able to diversify those spaces in STEM and I’m so excited and so proud to be a part of an organization that really champions themselves on giving back to the community.

“The community has continued to support us game in and game out, and so to be able to return the favor in that way is so inspiring and so humbling.”

Harris is the longest tenured player on a Nets team with championship aspirations. His sense of pride comes not just from the team’s performance on the court, but the organization’s activity in the community.

“I think a lot of times, stuff can be lip service, and you kind of mistake activity for achievement,” Harris told The News. “Since I’ve been here, the last seven years, it’s definitely been important to be involved in the community. In particular, things like this where this is educationally as important as it gets.”

Gall quickly wiped away the tears. There’s only so much time to be emotional before she gets back to the task at hand.

That task is getting the kids flooding her newborn technology hub employed in STEM to combat the disparity in people of color employed in the field.

“I never want to lose sight of the mission, and it’s not about me,” she said. “It’s about the kids, and it’s about really making change in the community.”