Math-geniuses, business-startup owners, even robot builders gathered on Aug. 29 for the inaugural Women in STEM Club meeting. Math and science fields are traditionally male-dominated, but several clubs are trying to combat this imbalance and encourage more female involvement in STEM. Hosted by female leaders and filled with innovators, WISTEM focuses on girls who are eager to apply their scientific passions.

For years, the school has seen increased rates of female leadership in clubs, student government and honor societies. That legacy is continuing this year with the new addition of WISTEM.

Club co-founder and vice president senior Valeria Romero built the club with the intent of  making girls feel included and open to discussing their passions for STEM in a safe space. “This club was kind of formed around some of the women on the board not feeling that they were included enough in other STEM-focused clubs,” Romero said. 

Male-dominated statistics are no stranger to STEM environments—the disparity often creates a minority of girls whose opinions and ideas become suppressed. These numbers continue beyond high school, where an imbalance of girls to boys in pursuing scientific-based careers exists.

The broader international WISTEM organization’s initiative is to welcome girls interested in the STEM field to interact with each other and build important life skills. To advocate this, school-based WISTEM Clubs, like the one in the school, organize lab activities, workshops and guest speakers to educate members on specific career fields and find what they are most drawn to.

As club members tackle post-high school education, WISTEM offers multiple opportunities to apply for scholarships and summer programs with notable colleges, including MIT and Brown University.

Beyond the club’s goal for inclusivity and awareness, sophomore Lucia Howe loves how the club tackles worldwide stereotypes associated with girls working in male-dominated fields.

“I feel like in this contemporary world, women are playing much bigger roles now and it’s really important that we provide opportunities like this to women so we can create [a] more equal society,” Howe said.

Speaking outwardly about these issues drives these clubs to make more involved leaders. Defined by a motivation to learn about their members and explore their passions, they use their meetings to teach them about STEM careers.

Romero believes communication is crucial to her fulfilling these leadership responsibilities. “Being a leader has taught me to always be open in communication and different opinions that you’ll get, and I think it [includes] accommodating to other people’s personalities,” Romero said, “making sure that you’re always open to listening to them.”

Although WISTEM is notable for its STEM-focused program, Entrepreneurship Club is another club aiming to teach girls how to advocate for themselves and use what they’ve learned for life after high school. The club’s president, senior Emiaj Jaime, plans to incorporate workshops to teach members how to advertise products and plan out a business venture they’re passionate about. Members will also receive experience by participating in fundraisers and learning the process of selling a product.

“Obviously it’s going to be hard to start up a million startup businesses, but we want to teach them different concepts so they know that they’re able to succeed with a success mindset,” Jamie said. “The biggest thing about entrepreneurship is that it isn’t hard. It takes a lot of work, but it’s not rocket science.”

Jaime looked into entrepreneurial education this summer, as she read countless self-help books and educated herself on the different tactics of an entrepreneur. Building up her entrepreneurial knowledge has helped her workshop her own business, an experience Jaime hopes to impart to others through the club.

While WISTEM and Entrepreneurship Club are on the newer end of the spectrum, Robotics has been pushing for more girl involvement since its start decades ago. In only the second year after its creation, the Robotics team was able to create a team of all girls to go to competitions. 

 Robotics sponsor Po Dickison wanted to eliminate the disparity of women involved in the STEM community and assured these girls that there was more to robotics than building and programming. They would need to communicate with each other and create a “sense of belonging” among each other.

“All of the girls on that team were on the girls soccer team and they felt that the boys did not let them have a voice,” Dickison said. 

The girls were able to prove their doubters wrong as their team excelled in the competition and made it to states.

Similar to Romero and Jaime, Dickison wants robotics to be an avenue for students to learn important communication skills and teamwork, no matter who they work with.

“It truly is a team effort and that’s as close to real life as you can get, like a real job,” Dickinson said.

These life skills prepare students for any interview they encounter after high school, whether they’re for internships or careers. One year, Robotics had four seniors , two of whom were girls, apply for a scholarship at Cole Engineering. They earned themselves a paid internship for the summer after they “blew the interviewers out of the water,” Dickison remembers. By equipping them with the knowledge and expertise in programming and building, the students’ participation in Robotics ensured they would stand out.

Junior Brenda Maciel, president of Key Club, agrees that club experience has been integral to learning real-life skills in her own life.

“I’ve learned networking, I’ve learned working with people, I’ve worked with assigning tasks, I’ve worked with contacting sponsors and adults,” Maciel said.

She encourages other female leaders on campus to put themselves up for leadership positions and to start showing interest in clubs early.

Maciel sees all the organization that is needed to maintain her leadership position and the club altogether. Her passion for guiding others started her freshman year and continued to grow as she participated more in Key Club.

 “Since I was a freshman, I knew I wanted to be on the board,” Maciel said. “I want to put the best effort that I can into making Key Club the best club [at] Hagerty.”

Leadership involves the ability of someone to trust in themselves and spread their knowledge to others. WISTEM treasurer, sophomore Satvi Vijaykumar, believes leadership teaches you how to interact with others and be able to spread your ideas with confidence.

How leaders carry themselves demonstrates their experience and dedication to their position, serving as inspiration to those around them. Vijaykumar wants to embody this and teach other girls that their passions can contribute to the STEM community, removing any doubt from their minds.

“I think a lot of character traits that you get to develop alongside leadership [are] so important for you to be able to handle things in life,” Vijaykumar said. “When you have to collaborate, it’s very important to have those skills so that you’re able to stand out and not be afraid to not back down when you know that you have the ability to do well [in] the field.”