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Transcript

Girls in STEM · Divas That Care Network

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: It's Divas That Care Radio.
• 0:02
  SPEAKER_00: Stories, strategies, and ideas to inspire positive change.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Divas That Care, a network of women committed to making our world a better place for everyone.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: This is a global movement for women, by women, engaged in a collaborative effort to create a better world for future generations.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: To find out more about the movement, visit DivasThatCare.com after the show.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: Right now, though, stay tuned for another jolt of inspiration.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_02: Well, hello, everyone, and welcome back to the Divas That Care.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_02: I'm Candice Gish, and I'm so excited that each and every one of you has tuned in for today's program.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_02: I get to interview this amazing young diva today.
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  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, if you've been following our program, I always get excited when I get to listen to these inspirational young women that are doing extraordinary things.
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  SPEAKER_02: And today's guest is going to be sharing a little bit about her stuff and the things that she's doing.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_02: If this is your very first time, welcome to the Divas That Care.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_02: You know, we've been running now for 10 years and we have an amazing range of guests and speakers.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_02: But we also have amazing hosts that are on our program and you can check them out at DivasThatCare.com and listen to some of their programs.
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  SPEAKER_02: Well, let's get started.
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  SPEAKER_02: Today's guest is Katie McKinney.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_02: And Katie, I'm just so excited to get to know you and learn all about you.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_02: So welcome to the program today.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_02: Well, so would you mind spending a couple of minutes just telling us a little bit about yourself?
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, sure.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm Katie.
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  SPEAKER_01: I'm a rising senior at Grimsley High School and I am very academically involved with the school.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_01: I do a lot of extracurriculars, including Girls in STEM, which is the group that I'm a part of and how we're getting to talk to you guys today.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_01: I'm also involved in Science Olympiad, and I spend a lot of my weekends volunteering at the Greensboro Science Center as an aquarium docent.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_01: Recently, I joined the Tier 2 program where I get to help out with diet prep for some of our animals in the aquarium.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, my goodness.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_02: That sounds like a lot of fun.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_02: I want to talk about that a little bit.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_02: But for any of our listeners that might not understand what STEM is, can you be more specific about that?
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_02: What STEM is?
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_02: Tell us a little bit about what STEM is for some of our listeners that might not know.
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  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
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  SPEAKER_01: So any career that might implement some of those topics is considered a STEM career.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_01: There is also STEAM, which is Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics.
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  SPEAKER_01: So in February, we helped lead a conference with AAUW, the American Association of University Women, and I got to talk to someone named Dr.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_01: Herr, and he talked about how STEAM is important to convey the love of STEM to someone who might not understand, right?
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_01: So maybe to politicians or someone who really just hasn't gotten a chance to explore, and that's where the art comes in, which is really, really cool.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_02: I love that.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_02: I love all about STEM and everything that you guys are doing.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_02: Why did you decide to do this?
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_02: Why did you decide to go into STEM and to learn more about it?
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_02: What drove you to that?
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so ever since middle school where the science classes that I was taking was less about, you know, weather and that kind of thing that we had learned all throughout elementary school, and we dove a little deeper into genetics and cell biology and that kind of thing, I was just fascinated with all the different topics that we learned about.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_01: You know, science explains so much of our everyday life.
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  SPEAKER_01: Even though we have a lot to discover and a lot to research, science is really just the foundation, I guess, of everything on earth.
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  SPEAKER_01: So that was kind of my initial interest.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_01: And then as I got to high school, more opportunities were available to me to explore this kind of thing, like Like I said earlier, Science Olympiad and Girls in STEM.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_01: And that's how I really got involved with all STEM work rather than just science.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, I
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_02: love it.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_02: And you've probably met some amazing other girls that are doing this also.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, absolutely.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_02: So tell me about the Greensboro Science Center.
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  SPEAKER_02: You're volunteering there.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_02: How did you get involved in that?
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_02: And what exactly are you doing there?
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so I, in high school, you know, we are definitely encouraged to do service learning, and I wanted to find something that I was passionate about and something that I could go to regularly rather than, like, one two-hour shift here and there.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_01: And so some of my friends, our science center is very community-based, so we have a lot of high school students who volunteer there, a lot of people who might be retired, they might volunteer there.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_01: So I decided to apply.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_01: When I was looking on their website to apply, it was like 4.45 in the afternoon, and there was an application deadline for 5 o'clock that afternoon.
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  SPEAKER_01: I was like, all right, I'm going for it.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_01: So I filled it out.
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  SPEAKER_01: I did my interview, did my scavenger hunt and my training, and I've been there since April of 2019.
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  SPEAKER_01: That
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  SPEAKER_02: is awesome.
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  SPEAKER_02: Good for you.
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  SPEAKER_02: And you do a lot of stuff there.
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  SPEAKER_02: And do you volunteer quite a bit then, quite a few hours, or just maybe once a week?
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
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  SPEAKER_01: So in the summer, I am there a lot, as much as I can.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_01: Of course, this summer is a little different.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_01: with COVID-19, but I'm still able to go and do some diet prep since I'm just in the kitchen there.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_01: There's me and maybe an intern or an aquarist popping in.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, and then during the school year, since my whole Monday through Friday, I'm completely blocked off.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_01: I spend most of my week in there rather than normal weekdays.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_02: You
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_01: said you're
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  SPEAKER_02: going into your senior year, correct?
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_02: And you're going to be, you've got a lot of things going on.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_02: And is school starting for you right away?
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so we're starting, I believe, August 17th.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_01: We're going to start off with online learning.
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  SPEAKER_01: But I'll kind of hit the ground running with that.
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  SPEAKER_01: We're still trying to figure out how our extracurricular is going to work.
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  SPEAKER_01: How are we going to do club meetings?
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  SPEAKER_01: Are we allowed to do those?
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_01: that kind of stuff.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
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  SPEAKER_02: And you're doing, you're part of the Grimsley girls in STEM leadership team.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_02: So have you been working over the summer with that?
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  SPEAKER_02: Do you guys do a lot of zoom meetings?
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  SPEAKER_02: What exactly is involved in being a part of that program?
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
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  SPEAKER_01: So this summer we actually, we, did a STEM camp for girls.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_01: So there was a science, a technology, an engineering, and a math session every day.
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  SPEAKER_01: And then on Thursday, instead of our session, we did the Q&A about what qualities do a STEM student have?
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_01: How are we all dealing with the gender gap in STEM careers?
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  SPEAKER_01: So Yeah, we've been able to do that over the summer, which has been really nice.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_01: Like I said, we're still trying to figure out some aspects of what's coming up this school year, but we'll get it figured out.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_02: No, exactly.
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  SPEAKER_02: Is your program designed, or even your camp, was it designed mostly for the individuals in your community, or are you looking at really broadening this and incorporating other girls from different areas?
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so it's mostly directed towards our local community.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_01: That's kind of where we're putting our focus.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_01: Before COVID-19 happened, we were wanting to do a STEM day or maybe go over to local elementary and middle schools to get some of the girls over there interested or re-interested in STEM.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_02: I think that's great.
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  SPEAKER_02: And it's definitely a field that's growing quite a bit.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_02: It's because of all the initiative, I think, that amazing girls like yourself are putting out there.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_02: You know, you're really wanting to get it going, you know, encourage more girls to get into the field, you know, especially younger ones.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_02: I think that's quite inspiring in itself to really promote that.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_02: There's a lot of opportunity for young girls to be a part of STEM, and I love what you guys are doing.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, thank you.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_02: So tell me, what is next for you?
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_02: I know that you're going into your senior year, but I know that at the same time, you guys are always looking forward.
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  SPEAKER_02: I know with women, they have long-term goals.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_02: What is your long-term goal?
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  SPEAKER_02: Where are you thinking of going to college?
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  SPEAKER_02: What are you wanting to do with your life?
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_01: That is a great question.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_01: I am starting to pull together some stuff for college applications over the summer.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_01: And I...
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_01: It's very weird because I know that I want to do something that is science-related, maybe some other parts of STEM, but I'm still not sure exactly what my calling is.
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  SPEAKER_01: Do I want to go into the medical field?
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  SPEAKER_01: Do I want to work in a lab?
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_01: Do I want to be a biomedical engineer?
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  SPEAKER_01: So I am looking into different majors that I can do at different schools.
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  SPEAKER_01: I hope that even as I get to college, I could...
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_01: find a way back home to do some of my volunteer work at the Science Center, complete my shifts for the month, and just seek out other opportunities in the area to volunteer in STEM-related opportunities.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
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  SPEAKER_01: And
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_02: you know what?
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  SPEAKER_02: I keep saying that, too.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_02: People ask me what I want to do.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_02: I would say, I don't know what I want to do when I grow up.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_02: And I think it always changes.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_02: As you get older, you know what?
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  SPEAKER_02: That is perfectly okay to want to change things because there's so many opportunities out there.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_02: And I always tell people, like, enjoy it.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_02: Enjoy life and do the things that you want to do because you never know what's going to lead you.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that's awesome that, you know what?
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_02: You just want to explore.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_02: And that is awesome.
• 11:10
  UNKNOWN: Yeah.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_01: I'm looking to apply to North Carolina State University and they have like an exploratory studies program for like undecided majors where you can really explore different academic pursuits and, you know, try and figure out some of that stuff along the way before you declare a major.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, then that's perfect.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_02: You know, you can have fun and you can learn all about these different avenues.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_02: Perfect.
• 11:37
  UNKNOWN: Yeah.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I think that you're going to do so good, and I'm looking forward to hearing more about all the stuff you're going to be doing in the future.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_02: I'm going to ask you, Katie, is there anything that you would love to share with our listeners today?
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_02: You know, we always want to encourage our young divas to share any tips, any tools, things that they want to do to inspire the people around them.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, absolutely.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_01: So I would say...
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  SPEAKER_01: Part of the reason why especially younger girls are discouraged from STEM is the confidence gap.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_01: According to AAUW's website, as young as second and third grade, You know, girls are starting to get less and less confident in their math skills and their science skills, and males are getting more and more confident, even though there's not really a difference in their testing ability at that point.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_01: So I would just say be confident in yourself.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_01: You know, be the best that you can be so that nobody could pick you you know, a male applicant maybe over you because your resume is so strong, because you've worked so hard to get to where you are.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_01: And
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_02: do you have any last minute recommendations of, for people that are not in your area, because you've got a really great program that you're doing there, but what if somebody is listening in today and they're wanting to, you know, either start a program or, You know, maybe they live in a community that doesn't have anything.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_02: They just want to learn for themselves.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_02: Do you have any recommendations on, you know, books, videos, or anything that can kind of get them started?
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, there are plenty of books that I like.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_01: I went through a little Neil deGrasse Tyson phase.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_01: It's like astrophysics for people in a hurry or death by black hole.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_01: Those are some of my favorites.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_01: You can also check out local libraries to find some resources.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_01: And there's always good old Google to help you explore some of that stuff.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_01: I would also say making connections is very, very important.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_01: The Girls in STEM president, her name is Ananya Sharma, she has worked so hard and she has made so many connections to get our club to where we are today.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_01: You know, she has connections with AAUW, like the Greensboro branch, with other local organizations.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_01: She has worked so hard and has made so many connections for our club.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_02: That is awesome.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_02: I think that what she's done is an extremely great thing.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, she is.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_02: She's great.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_02: Well, I want to thank you so much for your time today.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_02: So much for all your tips and your tools and everything that you've done to share with our listeners today.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, we're really excited about what the Grimsley Girls and STEM is doing.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_02: You know, your program is absolutely fantastic.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_02: I know that we do have quite a few questions.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_02: of girls that are coming on to our program so that we can interview them to learn more about them so thank you so much for you know sharing that with all of our listeners today and thank you so much and good luck with everything in the future and I hope that you come back on our program
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_01: yeah thank you so much for having me
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_02: Well, I hope that you have a great day.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_02: And I hope that all of our listeners, you know, you take this program and you send it to your friends and family.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_02: We really had a great time having Katie.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_02: And I hope that you check out all the other girls that we're going to be interviewing from Grimsley High School.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_02: You know, they're going to be talking about their programs and everything that they're doing to support their community and all the girls really out there.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_02: So thank you so much to our listeners.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you for tuning in for the last 10 years.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_02: And as I said, it's because of all of you that we continue to grow our Divas That Care network.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_02: We're listened to in 30 countries around the world, and we want to thank you so much for that.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_02: Make sure that you do something kind for somebody out there.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_02: Bye-bye for now.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_00: This show was brought to you by Divas That Care.
• 15:38
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