More Than Social Justice

Why do you think it's so important for girls and women to be better represented in STEM fields? Is it just about equality or is there something more going on here?

Well, it's very complex and interdependent. So I would say, yes, this is for us at Techbridge Girls, it's not only a quality aspect, but it's an economic and a social justice aspect. Economic, because we believe STEM careers are the careers that put a girl on a path to economic mobility. All of STEM careers are living wage work. And so our girls have the opportunity to change the trajectory of her life if she enters into a STEM field.

It is also about social justice and equality, because the reality is, is that we are going in to and are in this thing called a STEM revolution. How we organize, think, our culture, our practices, our beliefs, our behaviors are all influenced by technology in some aspect. And we are leaving a group of individuals out of that revolution, out of the opportunity to transform the way we are as a people, a culture and a society. And if you don't have those insights in the development and the design and the delivery, then you're not going to really reach your greatest potential. And if the US and the nation and our globe really wants to reach its fullest potential, it has to tap into all of the energy and the brilliance of all of its citizens and members.