Bella shares her experience as a young woman in STEM and finding her self confidence (16 years old)

Being a female in a STEM Academy was a new and challenging experience. Now to add the academy on top of Varsity tennis, Robotics, Student Council, National Honor Society and a water conservation club? It can be a lot to handle.

 At times I was the only girl in a certain project or in robotics and during my freshman year, I felt I wasn’t being heard- and that my words didn’t matter as much as the guys. But because of my mom and inspiration drawn from fashion and a love for technology, I learned that I can stand up for myself, that if I wasn’t being heard- I would speak louder. 

Over the course of my freshman year of high school I learned that women have every right to be heard, to be taken seriously. That even in male dominated fields such as Engineering and Robotics, women can prevail. Because women truly run the world. I used my frustration and turned it into motivation. I trained harder for tennis, I thought ahead of the game in robotics so when sophomore year rolled around, I was at the top of my game.

My experiences helped me build the confidence and self love I needed to progress in my high school career. I learned to love myself and to understand that my ideas are worth something and that my voice deserves to be heard.  

Now as I begin my junior year, I’m working with my school and all of my clubs and extracurricular activities to help give other young women a voice and let their ideas be heard. I get females younger than me to join in on Robotics and Tennis, to get them to try something new. Through my confidence, I became a leader. A captain on my Varsity Tennis Team, a head programmer and team lead for my Robotics Club, and now a candidate for my school’s Homecoming Princess. 

I hope to inspire others to take that stand, to act on that desire to be heard in both my school and my community.

xx

Bella