María – Science and Technology: Making a Positive Change
María, TechGirls 2023, Costa Rica
Since I was a little girl, I always liked questions. I wondered how things worked, why they worked that way, and how I could make them work better. As I grew up, science and technology became the answers to many of those questions. They fascinated me, and from that moment on, I knew I wanted to dedicate my life to STEM. I wanted to make a difference by helping those around me and trying my best to make a positive impact in the world using my passion for science and technology.
When I was selected as one of the participants for TechGirls in my country, I felt like that dream was coming true. Being part of TechGirls has been an immense source of inspiration for me, driving me to pursue a STEM career, as I had the opportunity to share with a community of brave, brilliant, and strong women from all around the world. All the knowledge I gained through the program about STEM fields is priceless, but for me the biggest learning was the importance of youth, female representation and multiculturality in the new scientific community.
This thirst for making a positive impact in my community drove my attention to PROMECUM Schools (Programa para el Mejoramiento de la Calidad de la Educación y Vida de Comunidades Urbanas de Atención Prioritaria or in English: Program for the Improvement of the Quality of Education and Life in Urban Communities of Priority Attention). Their objective is to offer an education based on equality for all students in these centers, since the population attending these schools commonly face issues like family aggression, drug addiction, alcoholism, and delinquency. Motivated by a strong desire to make a positive contribution to these communities, using all the knowledge I gained from workshops, classes, leadership sessions and other activities during TechGirls, I created STEM Girls, a series of science and technology fairs for girls from three different PROMECUM schools in my community. My project aims to address the lack of STEM opportunities for this specific group by promoting their interest in STEM areas, developing leadership skills, and showcasing the importance of youth and female representation in science and technology.
While being surrounded by all these little girls who shared my passion not just for science and technology, but for collaboration, empathy, and innovation, I realized that the possibilities of the STEM field are endless. A positive influence can make a total change on the perception of our capabilities, making us see that with effort and determination, we can achieve whatever our goals are. TechGirls has not only inspired my peers and me, but its impact has also spread to numerous places in the world, including in Costa Rica where those little girls are dreaming about becoming part of this global STEM community.
