Stem students speak: Two young women on the rewards and challenges of bucking tradition to pursue stem careers

By Adrianne Sanderson

Staff reporter

In the heart of our school, a group of passionate young women is breaking barriers and setting their sights on careers in STEM. As shown in a recent 2021 study, women make up only 27 percent of the STEM workforce in the United States, and these ambitious students are determined to change the narrative. 

One of those voices is junior McKenna Rounds.

“The career I am pursuing is biomedical engineering, specifically tissue engineering,” said McKenna. “I want to work towards developing synthetic kidneys to offset the need for donations.”

Another student who wants to go into a STEM field is senior Haddison Beran, and she said that she plans on going into a science career and maybe environmental science as a career path. She is also participating in GLOBE and took AP Environmental Science. 

  Their passion reflects a growing movement among young women to step into roles traditionally dominated by men. Rounds recognizes the challenges, but sees them as opportunities for growth.

“What can be challenging about STEM is that it’s really about trial and error. You almost never find the right solution on your first try,” said Rounds. “It can be frustrating, but once you figure [the solutions] out, it can be extremely rewarding.”

         A key aspect of science is patience. Research involves a long process of figuring out an approach and then collecting and analyzing data, which can take months or years.

      “The most alluring part of science to me is how it can surprise you,” said Beran. “For example, my GLOBE group is doing a research project on pollution of our local watersheds. We were very shocked after collecting all our data to discover that Turtle Creek is more polluted than the Rock River. I like how science is so widespread and keeps you on your toes.” 

However, the current political climate poses some challenges for aspiring female STEM professionals. The recent pushback against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives has raised concern about the support systems designed to uplift underrepresented groups in the workforce.

“For women specifically, [pushback on DEI] can reverse the growth the STEM community has been experiencing in recent years and make STEM an unsafe environment for women to be in. The fear of that happening will probably prevent many women from entering the field,” Rounds stated. “The president’s pushback on DEI could have many bad consequences for the future of STEM, not just for women in STEM.”

  In 1970, only 8 percent of women worked in STEM fields. These numbers have increased by 19 percent. This could have a cumulative effect as women show how equally capable they are in these fields compared to men.

“This shows the upcoming generations of especially young girls that they can have the same opportunities in a STEM career as their male counterparts,” said Beran. “The increase of women in STEM representation in my time is also encouraging younger women to pursue this field.”

Rounds is less optimistic.

“Yes, women have been becoming more common in STEM, especially because of campaigns encouraging girls to join. But I fear that could change soon,” she voiced. “As a result of the pushback, those campaigns likely wouldn’t be allowed to happen anymore.”

 Regardless of the small increase of women working in STEM, 27 percent is still such a small percentage compared to the men that make up the remaining 73 percent. Rounds has some ideas on why this is.

“Historically, STEM has been very male-dominated. STEM has had a habit of prioritizing men, and the field has been growing past that, but it can be hard [to completely remove that]. We as a society also have a tendency to put down intelligent women, so it can be scary to pursue a career where you could face constant ridicule or be treated as if you don’t belong there,” remarked Rounds.

  Despite the challenges, she, and many other young women, are not planning on backing down. 

“I believe that women are straying from ‘boxes’ that society has traditionally put them in,” said Beran. “Going into this field, I not only want to achieve equal representation of all qualified powerful people in STEM. But I also want to feel like I am personally making a positive difference in the world each day. Whether that be through a career like a public health researcher or maybe a career in environmental science helping improve the health of our planet.” 

Rounds has been inspired by the bright women who have done amazing things in STEM fields.

“A personal hero of mine is Judith Love Cohen, the mother of Jack Black,” noted Rounds. “She was an aerospace engineer that helped create the Abort-Guidance system that saved the Apollo 13 astronauts. She even continued working on it while in labor with Jack. Ada Lovelace made computers possible. Rosalind Franklin played an integral role in discovering the structure of DNA,” she added. “Her partners in this discovery were awarded the Nobel Prize and downplayed her role.”

Personal heroes closer to home have also made a difference.

Beran noted the importance of “having strong female science teachers in school who always encouraged me to really explore different areas of science and challenge myself. The woman in STEM I currently look up to the most is Ms. Cauley. I am inspired each day by her dedication to Biology and science as a whole.” 

Rounds is aware of the hardships for women that come with pursuing jobs in STEM, but her feelings for the field are unwavering. In a world that desperately needs diverse perspectives and innovative solutions, Rounds said, “It’s important to have women in STEM, because women are everywhere.”