Danette Mitchell: Guiding girls into STEM

A news article last month featured, Zora Ball, a 7-year-old prodigy and said to be the youngest person to create a mobile video game. The Philadelphia youngster applied math skills to design the game using Bootstrap, a programming language taught to older students to help them learn algebra.

Ball attends a science and technology charter school and participates in an after-school STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) program. The author observed that Ball is a shinning example of what black kids can accomplish when offered a quality education and an opportunity to succeed.

March is National Women's History Month. This year's theme, "Women Inspiring Innovation Through Imagination," honors women who have made extraordinary contributions to the STEM fields.

We should applaud these women and encourage young people, particularly girls, to become biologists, scientists, doctors or engineers. Statistical data shows that women and people of color are underrepresented in these fields. This hurts us as a country, as we are short-changing ourselves by failing to reap the benefits of additional talent.

In 2011, first lady Michelle Obama gave a speech to the National Science Foundation. She said: "If we're going to out-innovate and out-educate the rest of the world, then we have to open doors for everyone. We can't afford to leave anyone out."

We must keep girls interested in these fields, but it starts with "lighting the spark for science and math in elementary school and grade school."

Another recent article about the 13th annual "Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day" told about schools, companies, universities and national labs, including businesses across the country, that spearheaded a range of activities aimed at getting girls excited about engineering classes and careers.

Attendees participated in hands-on-learning opportunities and connected with professionals in the field. They engaged in a team car-building competition. One judge watched girls step up as leaders in extraordinary ways. She believed the event inspired many of them to consider becoming inventors, entrepreneurs and business leaders.

More needs to be done, so this event and similar ones don't become just once-a-year endeavors. We must participate in activities to help students excel in science, technology, engineering and math and do whatever is necessary to ensure that women and girls, particularly underrepresented minorities, enter these fields.

We must also encourage girls who have talents in other areas. Mrs. Obama commented in her speech that science and math were not her strong subjects. However, she capitalized on talents she had and became a lawyer.

We can help all girls with their career goals by encouraging them, connecting them with people already in their field of interest and fighting for them politically, including in science, technology, engineering and math. This, I believe, embodies the spirit of National Women's History Month.

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