December 11, 2019 | IGNITE Panels at Nathan Hale High School Unity in the Community Event | By Charlotte L.
On December 11th, Nathan Hale High School hosted two IGNITE Women in Tech panels at their annual Unity in the Community event. The sessions inspired and encouraged girls and non-binary students at Hale to take STEM-related classes at school and pursue a non-traditional career in STEM!
17 girls attended the first session, led by Charlotte L., IGNITE Student Representative, with panelist Ola Amayri, professor at DigiPen Institute of Technology. Students learned about IGNITE, how they can get involved at Hale, and the importance of more women going into the STEM fields. They learned that these careers are in high demand and that companies want to hire THEM! We listened to our speaker’s inspirational journey through school and into her career today. Students enjoyed her success story as a determined and confident woman working her way through her male-dominated career field, and they were interested to learn how the passion she found in technology led her to a gratifying job in teaching. Students also had the chance to ask her questions and receive advice on how to get started now to work toward a super successful career in STEM.
11 girls attended a second session, led by Charlotte and with panelist Eva Tseng, Senior Marketing Manager at T-Mobile. Students learned information about IGNITE and the importance of and opportunity in being a woman pursuing a STEM career. Our panelist Eva shared her story of growing up in Taiwan and her career journey when she moved to the U.S. She shared her love for working with people and how she incorporated that with the STEM field. Students were excited to learn how advertising and marketing are fun and creative careers within STEM fields! Eva shared advice, not only to pursue a STEM career, but for life: She shared how to create your own personal brand, how to be a good listener in the workplace, and how bringing a positive attitude and open mind is the most important thing in life. Students had the chance to ask questions and seek advice from Eva as well.
Students left the panels with a renewed and widened interest in STEM, a willingness and excitement to continue taking STEM-related classes, and most importantly, a new door wide open for the possibility of pursuing a STEM career in the future.
Thank you to Ola Amayri and Eva Tseng for volunteering your time and sharing your stories to inspire girls and non-binary students at Nathan Hale!