WA only has two Women in STEM chapters. How to start one at your high school, college

When Jamie Kwon’s grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2020, it got the then-middle schooler’s brain ticking about how she could help out. After all, Kwon was just barely a teenager.

By 2022 she’d landed on a solution. In fact, she’d not only found a solution, but she’d begun acting on it, too.

Now a sophomore high school student at Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bellevue, she’s also working as an intern at the University of Washington Department of Neurology assisting with Alzheimer’s disease research. She intends to work in computer sciences and neurology to help find a solution for the disease that affects 6.5 million Americans.

But just as importantly, Kwon is also a Washington state ambassador for Women in STEM, an organization that works with high schools worldwide to encourage young women to study and enter STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — fields.

Kwon and a fellow student started the Women in STEM chapter at her high school at the start of the 2022 fall semester with about 10 other students. As of March, membership has tripled to 30 people.

It’s one of two Women in STEM chapters in Washington, alongside Sammamish High School in Bellevue.

“For me, personally, it’s to empower women and girls,” Kwon said in an interview with McClatchy News. “To be involved in science, to be exposed to science, and to know that there is a place for them and that they really can make a difference. I think that’s the primary goal of women in STEM.”

Empowering young women in Washington

STEM jobs cover various occupations, from chemists to engineers to microbiologists. It’s also one of the fastest-growing fields in the United States. From 2021 to 2031, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects STEM occupations employment to grow by 10.8%, over double what non-STEM occupations are expected to increase (4.9%).

Although women occupy about 50% of STEM jobs, according to the Pew Research Center, a majority of women in the field are involved in health-related careers.

Women’s representation in health-related jobs is 74%, but only 15% in engineering jobs, 25% for computer-related occupations and 40% in physical science jobs.

“I can very clearly see the gender disparity,” Arushi Mittal, a junior at Sammamish High School and founder of the school’s Women in STEM chapter, told McClatchy News in an interview. “That encouraged me to go out and find options, and that’s how I found Women in STEM.”

Mittal wanted to become her school’s Women in STEM chapter ambassador in spite of feedback that her visual impairment would make the role overly difficult. She was determined to provide access to STEM fields regardless of gender, race or disability.

Kwon also acknowledges the gender gap among many STEM professions. That rings true in Washington state, where, according to a Washington Student Achievement Council study in 2021, only 35% of post-secondary students completing associate degrees or bachelor’s degrees in STEM subjects were women, and only 22% completing degrees in computer science were women.

“STEM fields have historically been male-dominated, so this has definitely resulted in a lack of diversity and inclusion in these fields,” Kwon said. “By encouraging women to pursue STEM opportunities, I think we can increase diversity and inclusion in these fields, which can lead to possibly more innovative and more effective solutions to problems.”

What does Women in STEM do?

Mittal was always interested in science and technology as a child. She used to experiment with circuits and even tried to make a lie detector once. She entered her first science fair as a third grader.

Now, she’s in a position to bring those opportunities to other girls her age and even to help bring the passion for science to elementary school kids. Recently, Mittal and other members of her chapter volunteered at a local elementary school science fair to demonstrate the old but classic ice cream in a bag experiment to students.

Her chapter holds a Weekly Careers on STEM chat and recently studied a sheep heart dissection. However, a single project like that can cost nearly $100, so they continue to look for funding resources to help with future demonstrations and learning experiences.

“I’m looking for places to visit and do volunteering and some field trips,” Mittal said. “It’s hard to get funding for these things. We went to the science fair and didn’t get a lot in donations.”

Mittal hopes to take her chapter to visit the Bellevue Botanical Garden or Bellevue Community College this spring.

Kwon’s chapter tries to do similar activities. She said they often invite diverse panel speakers to talk to her group. Most recently, they talked to an alum of her high school who now studies and works in STEM at Stanford University. Numerous former Women in STEM ambassador have gone on to other impressive institutions of higher education, including Yale, Cornell and Harvard.

They also want to attend field trips, Kwon said. She hopes to set up a trip to iFly Indoor Skydiving to study aeronautics and have fun in the wind tunnels.

Internships, scholarships and research opportunities are also often shared among the group, helping students get involved in STEM beyond the classroom walls.

How can you get involved?

There are 127 Women in STEM chapters worldwide, from Washington state to Germany and South Korea. Fewer than 30 U.S. states have chapters.

But the organization is always looking to expand, and it’s as easy as filling out a form to become an ambassador. Only high school students can become ambassadors, while college students can become Women in STEM mentors, which assist high school students with career and school advice.

After applying, prospective ambassadors will schedule a call with a Women in STEM advisor, Kwon said, who will then assist in registering the chapter.

“You meet with them, and then we go through how to start a chapter,” Kwon said. “They give us resources on what it takes to be a leader. How do you organize efficiently? How do you time manage? So that’s kind of how you start the process.”

Mittal says the early stages of getting her chapter off the ground were difficult, but her advisor was involved and helped her market the chapter to other students.

“I feel like a lot of it is marketing because a lot of people don’t know it’s out there,” Mittal said. “That helps in spreading the word and getting people to know about it. They join your club, and they apply for leadership positions. I’ve learned a lot, and they’ve helped us grow.”

Adults can also get involved by donating money to a local Women in STEM chapter. A complete list of chapters can be found on the organization’s website, and donations to individual chapters can be made by selecting the school.