Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. These are the building blocks of a STEM education, and while these are industries that are traditionally considered to be “male dominated”, many women are becoming more involved in STEM industries and education.

The Robotics Education and Competition Foundation (REC) recently declared October 11^th as the “International Day of the Girl”, celebrating girls in STEM education and industry. To coincide with the “day of the girl”, and celebrate female STEM students district wide, Greenville ISD held its first ever “Girl Powered” Workshop on Oct. 11 in the new robotics lab at the Greenville High School Career and Technology Center. Registration for the event was free and open to female students in GISD from 3^rd-12^th grade.

“I loved seeing the different groups of girls working together to solve problems. It was interesting to see some of the out-of-the-box ideas the girls came up with,” said parent and Lamar teacher, Jacklynn Fulp. “I also thought it was great to expose the girls to so many different topics and areas. Sometimes girls will just stick to what they know or are good at. It's good for them to get a chance to branch out and try new things,” she said.

“This event was special to me because I was never encouraged to have an interest in STEM at a young age,” said Director of Robotics, Adrienne Emerson. “I've always felt like somewhat of an outsider in my field of work. The younger we can show these girls that STEM is something interesting, fun, and they are totally capable of pursuing it, the better! Hopefully workshops like this here in Greenville can inspire the next generation of women and help achieve the goal of having more women in STEM fields in the future,” she said.

Participants received a “Girl Powered” t-shirt and the opportunity to interact with females working in STEM industries, as well as participate in STEM activities and confidence building activities. "My favorite part was building the boats and trying to sink them. And I liked making the platform to hold the marbles. I really liked that we got to build and be creative,” said third grader, Emma Shepherd. “I think it was more fun because there were only girls there," she said.

This event is the first of its kind and will continue to propel existing STEM initiatives in Greenville ISD forward.

For more information about “Girl Powered”, please contact Adrienne Emerson, Director of Robotics, at emersona@greenvilleisd.com, or Sydney Hanner, Director of Community Relations, at hanners@greenvilleisd.com.