Launched in 2021, Learning Undefeated’s Emerging Leaders in STEM program connects high school and college women with female STEM professionals to build career readiness and networking skills. The interactive program…
“STEM is all about solving problems,” said Karrin Felton, program manager of the Department of Defense (DoD) Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship-for-Service Program, to a virtual audience of aspiring biotechnologists. “STEM brings people together from disparate backgrounds who have different ideas. This opposition is how we work things out.”
We also know that students from low-income households begin their education at a disadvantage and are more likely to struggle with engagement, so while schools and teachers are working really hard to meet those most vulnerable learners where they’re at and their needs, we’re dedicated to helping them with that by bringing these really cool resources and experiences to their schools as well,” says Jennifer Colvin, vice president of education for Learning Undefeated, a nonprofit bringing STEM to students through mobile labs, among other means.
Local nonprofit Learning Undefeated has partnered with the Department of Defense to create a mentor program for high school and college girls interested in STEM careers. Emerging Leaders in Biotechnology connects college and high school women to provide them with skills, knowledge, and support to pursue careers in biotechnology.
“When high school women get to make that connection with college women, they get to see a little snippet of themselves in the future,” said Gabriella Centeno, a rising sophomore majoring in biology at Montgomery College, who is serving as a mentor in the Emerging Leaders in Biotechnology program. “That not only inspires them, but it also empowers them to do the best that they can, take as many opportunities as they want, and enjoy their full right of whatever their self-discovery is.