In recent years, closing the gender gap in STEM has become a top priority for technology leaders. According to data from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, women represented only 28% of the STEM workforce in 2023.
While this disparity exists in other fields, a lack of diversity in STEM becomes a compounding problem as tech drives the global economy. If gender parity is not achieved in STEM, unconscious bias and other issues will proliferate. This makes it even more difficult for women leaders to thrive in the tech ecosystem and beyond.
Ahead, we highlight Terysa Ridgeway, a computer scientist and STEM advocate helping to introduce tech to girls. We also discuss the mission of internXL and the ways that Robert F. Smith is helping to achieve gender equality in STEM.
How One Computer Scientist Is Getting Girls Involved With STEM
Providing young women with access to digital literacy is a fundamental approach to eliminating the gender gap in STEM. When introduced to STEM concepts at a young age, women can become better prepared to enter STEM programs. Their visibility also helps break down the stereotypes that perpetuate gender bias in these fields.
Many tech leaders have made it their mission to help increase digital literacy for young girls. Terysa Ridgeway is one of those leaders. Ridgeway is a technical program manager at Google, a STEM advocate and a mother of four. She has degrees in mathematics and computer science. Before working as a programmer for Google, she worked as a rocket scientist developing code for spacecraft. Her first exposure to computers was when her mother, a teacher, brought her classroom computer home for the summer. That interaction with tech at a young age inspired her to help children, specifically young women, develop digital literacy skills.
Ridgeway started the children’s series “Terysa Solves It” after the pandemic to introduce young women to pathways in STEM.
“Teaching children to code is like giving them a superpower; it unlocks endless possibilities and creativity,” Ridgeway told Black Enterprise in 2023.
The series teaches children how to think outside the box and exposes them to algorithmic programming using puzzle pieces. Last year, Ridgeway partnered with Alilo, an edutainment brand, to rebrand its toy robot to appeal more to children.
Ridgeway’s work will hopefully help increase the representation of women in the tech industry for years to come. But, just as importantly, as a computer scientist and tech innovator, Ridgeway is a role model for young women in STEM.
How Robert F. Smith and internXL Are Helping STEM Students
Increasing digital literacy and introducing tech to young women is a great way to encourage them to dive deeper into STEM education pathways. After that, it is as equally important to offer professional development opportunities.
Philanthropist and engineer Robert F. Smith supports internXL, an internship program that creates career pathways for STEM students. The program offers value for both employers and students by screening qualified candidates and matching them with organizations that can benefit from their skills and experience.
Over the years, Smith has also offered his support directly to universities supporting the education of women in STEM. For example, Smith made a $10 million donation to Cornell University’s College of Engineering to help support scholarships for Black American and female students.
Follow Smith on LinkedIn to learn more about how he works toward gender and racial equity in STEM education.
