Its Girls in Technology Stem Event in Wilmington gave over 100 girls from 10 different middle schools the opportunity to explore different STEM careers and work on Lego robotics. GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy wants to give young girls a chance to learn about different engineering fields.

“The data shows that many young girls are interested in math and science early on,” said GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Chief Commercial Officer Nicole Holmes. “And then lose that interest in seventh and eighth grade, and we want to inspire people to continue.”

Holmes said it’s easy for young girls to be discouraged to continue in STEM fields due to the lack of representation.

“One of my colleagues, Michelle, spoke today, and she said one of her teachers told her she was no good at math, gave her a C,” Holmes said. “And what she realized was that she wasn’t able to learn the way that teacher taught, so she did some studying on her own, took charge of it and figured out she really liked this and wanted to learn it and went on to get a nuclear engineering degree from N.C. State.”

Inspiring stories like this are important for girls to hear to keep them motivated despite the fact that women are underrepresented in STEM fields. Participating in events like the one in Wilmington is important to the advancement of women in STEM.

“If you can see it, you can be it,” Holmes said. “We want women to see other people like them, like me, who may have grown up in a small town, in a really small school, who may not have known many engineers who say ‘oh I can see somebody who has made this their career and is excited about it, I want to try it.’”