By: Megan Chan, STEM Policy Intern, Office of the Deputy Secretary

In the ever-evolving world of STEM, dedicating spaces and opportunities to amplify girls of color are essential for their overall advancement in the field.

This summer, I am serving as a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) Policy Intern at the U.S. Department of Education (The Department). During my tenure, I have received the opportunity to engage with STEM stakeholders at local, state, and federal levels to foster inclusivity and opportunities for growth in the field. This internship has brought about a number of insightful learning experiences and unexpected reflections on my personal history with STEM.

After a recent meeting with student STEM advocates, I considered how differently my life, and my interests could have been in elementary school if I explored different options in STEM from a young age. My elementary school teachers tried their best to keep us engaged with what they could- egg drops at the local firefighter station, old-fashioned ice cream making using salt, growing class plants. Each experiment left me wanting more, but I didn’t know how to express my fascination through limited programs that that did not allow me to hone my interests. I vividly remember the robotics program as the biggest STEM opportunity at our elementary school, but the high cost meant only a selective few could participate. As I moved into high school, the idea of pursuing STEM only grew more distant. Additionally, few students who looked like me participated in robotics, and as a young Asian American woman, I absorbed messages of STEM at school as a “male-leaning subject”. These barriers contributed to my hesitancy to further explore STEM.

For many students, the years spent in preschool elementary schools are some of the most formative moments of their lives. According to the U.S. Department of Human Health and Services, ages 1-5 are where children, “are laying the cognitive and behavioral foundation for the rest of their development and learning” (U.S. Department of Human Health and Services). Their innate sense of curiosity knows no limits at this age. That is why it is so important for toddlers and children to be exposed to STEM skills and concepts early on for their development, as it helps grow their intrinsic sense of curiosity and engagement with the world (STEMMIE). For girls of color, it is even more difficult to navigate the male-dominated field as a double minority. The National Science Foundation reports that only, “35% of those employed in STEM occupations are women-identifying, with only 24% from that group representing underrepresented minorities” (National Science Foundation). We must diversify the field and ensure more girls of color get involved and remain engaged.

The Department leads an initiative called Raise the Bar: STEM Excellence for All Students (Raise the Bar), to improve student learning and outcomes in STEM and to help foster a welcoming learning environment where all students feel they belong. As part of the initiative, one of the engagement strategies led to the creation of a six-part webinar series. I had the pleasure of creating a webinar dedicated to supporting girls and women of color in STEM. It was inspiring and hopeful to learn from all of the youth and industry experts to share their perspectives on how we tackle this challenge together.

I now firmly believe we must create more spaces of belonging for young girls of color in all our schools. My younger self may not have experienced robotics, but I believe in the power and importance of ensuring that every little girl is able to nurture their curiosity and see themselves in STEM.