My interest in science began in elementary school. My teacher, a retired Air Force pilot, drew a different airplane on the whiteboard every day. I loved coming to school, looking at the board, and learning about how that day’s plane worked. Unfortunately, math and science can be lonely places for girls.
At my STEM high school in Dallas, boys outnumbered girls four to one in the class of 2024. And my male math and science teachers significantly outnumbered their female counterparts. I was the only girl in my senior year AP physics class, and that environment, where I felt like the boys were always judging and doubting me, made me feel so uncomfortable to even ask questions. I soon transferred to a different physics class with more girls.
Disparities like these are a function of our society’s continued discouragement of girls pursuing studies and careers in STEM. That needs to end — not just for the sake of equality but for the health of our economy…