My Perspective

I have had a K-12 public school education in a large suburban school system, and I've encountered the comments and stereotypes about girls who are interested and adept in science and math. I've had to deal with boys, teachers, and even other girls giving me a hard time about my academic interests. Being interested in math and science does not, I repeat, does not make you some kind of nerd or freak. Your peers could give you a hard time about your interests and you may even have to get your parents to deal with the occasional teacher who doesn't take your interest in math and science seriously. But as long as you follow your interests, you should never have anything to be embarrassed about.

Starting in the third grade, I began to attract hostility from boys in my class who were annoyed that a girl of all people was doing better than they were on various math tests and science projects. In the sixth grade, my science teacher refused to believe that I had done a project myself and my parents had to speak with him. These are just two examples of bias that I've had to deal with in my life so far. I can't promise that you won't encounter similar situations, but I can promise that if you give up in the face of such bias, you are only helping these people achieve their goal--and not reaching yours!

Also, I've learned that pursuing math and science does not have to take away from any of your other interests. I'm heavily involved in my school's theater and music programs as well as competitive sports and Girl Scouts. I hang out with my friends, go out on dates, and all of the other stuff a teenage girl would do when not in school. I just also happen to love math and science. I was also fortunate enough to have parents who encouraged me to take algebra in middle school because otherwise I would not have been ready for trigonometry or calculus in high school.

I don't promise to have all the answers. In fact, I'm kind of glad that I don't have them because if I did, then life wouldn't be half as fun or exciting. I'm just here to attest to the fact that being interested in math, science, and/or engineering is really cool and that no one on the planet has the right to make you feel ashamed about it or to stop you from pursuing your dreams!

Back