PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Dozens of area high school girls have a chance to explore science, technology, engineering and math fields, thanks to a week-long program at Drexel University hosted by Exelon, the parent company of PECO.
More than 60 young women have taken part in the Exelon Foundation STEM Academy, according to Maya Huggins-Garcia with Exelon. Huggins-Garcia says this is Exelon’s seventh year hosting the academy, running through Aug. 9.
“This is a program geared to helping these young women that are interested in stem find a safe space for them to be able to explore those interests and things of that nature,” she told KYW Newsradio.
This year’s STEM Academy program spotlights the climate crisis, its escalating impacts, and the disproportionate effects on underserved populations.
Jazell Gateward, 16, from Northeast Philadelphia, is a participant in the program. “I was a little nervous at first, but then I felt myself liking it more, because I get to connect with new people,” she said.
Gateward says the program, which includes field trips, hands-on projects and other learning activities, gives her amazing insight into different fields in STEM.
“I’m into robotics, I’m taking AP physics 1 this year,” she said. “I took AP computer science last year. I just wanted to get more into that stuff.”
Another teen enjoying the safety of the academy program is 16-year-old high school junior Morgan Martin of Norristown. Martin says she loves STEM, but faced racism on her robotics team that discouraged her from pursuing a career in STEM fields.
“My guidance counselor actually sent me an email to come here and I just wanted to give it a shot to see if I still had a passion for it,” she recalled.
“It reignited my passion. I met a lot of great people and just coming here to meet people I know I’m going to work with in the future has been really inspiring.”
Huggins-Garcia says the program is crucial in giving an opportunity for the next generation of women in STEM — and she feels honored to be a part of each participant’s journey into STEM, as much as she relates to them on a personal level.
“I understand what their struggle will be, being a woman going into a male-dominated field as an engineer myself,” she said. “We need female thought leaders. We need females in the STEM space.”