You can’t become what you cannot see — and Utah’s technology leaders are cracking the code and breaking stereotypes to inspire young girls toward technology.
SheTech, a STEM activation and engagement platform for high school girls, is hosting a day-long conference, March 1, at the South Towne Expo Center. The event will include hands-on workshops in science, technology, engineering and math, with a goal of exposing girls to tech in a fun environment. Attendees will also meet STEM role models and learn about opportunities in those fields. The conference is free for high schoolers, and girls who attend will have access to internships, receive a SheTech certificate and pathway information, and become part of a supportive STEM community throughout the year.
“Most young girls don’t recognize the impact they can have in the technology industry,” says Cyd Tetro, founder of both SheTech and the Women Tech Council. “We want to help them do that. If we can get these girls early stage exposure into technology, we can get them pathways into those fields.”
All the statistics — both nationally and locally — show that women and girls are less likely to enter STEM fields than their male counterparts. But the SheTech statistics are vastly more encouraging. In 2017, more than 10,000 high school girls participated in their program, and they expect more than 2,000 girls to attend the conference on March 1. Plus, more than 120 tech companies will be in attendance, as well as more than 400 mentors for these girls to see, talk to, learn from, and be inspired by. Nearly every high school in the state will be busing girls to the South Towne Expo Center for the conference.
“We have a great opportunity to get the next generation to be a part of this economic ecosystem in technology,” Tetro says. “The more young women we can reach, the greater our overall economy becomes.”
To register for the free conference, visit SheTechExplorer.com.