This February, Girl Day was highlighted by a Capitol Hill luncheon briefing open to lawmakers, non-profits, and corporations.
The briefing at the Rayburn House Office Building shared messages for encouraging girls in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and illustrated how even one engineering experience for a girl can make a difference to her future.
“This year we celebrated our 17th Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day," said Leslie Collins, executive director of DiscoverE.
"The day grew from the need to increase the number of women in engineering and has since turned into a worldwide movement. DiscoverE’s Girl Day on Capitol Hill event is a fun, upbeat event geared at uniting the Nation’s leaders and partners and volunteers to share that there still remains a growing need for diversity and inclusion in the engineering and other STEM fields.”
DiscoverE's network of volunteers in the US and abroad is drawn from the DiscoverE coalition of more than 100 professional societies, major corporations, and government agencies. Together they meet a vital need: introducing students, parents, and educators to engineering, engaging them in hands-on engineering experiences and making science and math relevant.
“I came to the event to inspire young women, but I came away being inspired myself. We have so many young women that will be excellent engineers they just need to know that their real-life experiences are typical and that they can make a difference, ” said Theresa Hodge, P.E. 2015-2017 National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying Southern Zone Vice President
Speakers at the briefing included Dr. Michael Smith - DiscoverE Diversity Council chair, Deputy Executive Director, Internal Operations of The National GEM Consortium, Sukari Brown- Annual Convention Planning Committee Vice Chairperson 2017-2018, National Society of Black Engineers, Racheida Lewis- National Vice Chair at National Society of Black Engineers, Shirali Patel- Senior Product Manager, Raytheon, Kaitlyn Ludlum- Society of Women Engineers (SWE) high school member, Nikki Nola Gordon- Region II Chair, National Society of Black Engineers, and Girl Scouts of the USA.
Girl Day 2018 sponsors include 3M Foundation, Bechtel, ExxonMobil Corporation, Fluor Corporation, IBM International Foundation, Motorola Solutions Foundation, NCEES, Northrop Grumman Foundation, Raytheon Company, Rockwell Collins, TE Connectivity, Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.
