Southern California Comes Together to Encourage Girls to Choose STEM

ALL>> On Wednesday, April 19, the Riverside County Office of Education, along with representatives from Moreno Valley, the Inland Empire, Los Angeles, Orange County, Irvine and more participated in a town hall meeting. The event was part of a statewide initiative to encourage female students to choose careers in science, technology, engineering and math or STEM. The meeting, titled "Engaging Girls in STEM: Making the Connection for Action," took place at the RCOE conference center, in partnership with the California Department of Education, the California Commission on the Status of Women, and other STEM advocacy groups. Over 120 education, government, and business leaders attended the event. At least 25 STEM related exhibitors were also in attendance. Panels illustrated ways leaders can increase the number of students involved in STEM. Panel members included: Lyzandra Ortega, a sixth-grade student at Val Verde Elementary School; Lee Deesing, Chief Innovation Officer of the City of Riverside; Alisha Wilkings, Commissioner Representative for the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls; Sheila Neff, Transportation/Civil Engineer, Highway Design Engineer, California Department of Transportation; Sharon Walker, Interim Dean, Bourns College of Engineering, University of California, Riverside, and Dr. Kenneth Wesson, Educational Consultant in Neuroscience. Among the Exhibitor list were: Girls Luv Math, presented by the Moreno Valley Unified School District; Professional Engineers in California Government, presented by Inland Empire PECG; Rialto-Integrating Science Mathematics and related technologies (R-iSMART), presented by Rialto Unified School District, and more. This meeting allowed for participants to meet with advocates, whilst viewing exhibits that introduced new ways to support female careers in STEM. Policy makers, educators, and business and community partners will now be able to take steps to introduce STEM fields to more female students.