Name: Areanna Sabine
Year: Junior
Major: Environmental Science with a Portuguese Minor (4+1 Master’s Program in Environmental Science from Laney Graduate School)
Extracurricular Activities: Office Assistant in the Environmental Science Department, works at the Emory Center for Digital Scholarship, member of the IFF funded interdisciplinary research project in São Paulo, Brazil
Tameka: What made you want to start the Women in STEM club on Emory’s campus?
Areanna: At the beginning of this past winter break, I attended a four-day intensive instruction seminar on SolidWorks which is a 3D modeling program widely used by many industries. When I walked into the room, I looked around and saw 7 middle aged men. I wanted to believe that I could not be the only woman in the program, but when I asked the instructor, who was also male, about how many women come through the program, his response was not what I wanted to hear. I realized that I have been extremely fortunate to have been brought up in a family that supported me in my passions and challenged me to pursue whatever I desired and that many other women have not had the support that I have. Emory has this way of portraying its students as extremely happy and very comfortable in their surroundings. I’ve met many women in STEM fields who feel uncomfortable going to and participating in class because their male counterparts are overbearing. If there are not any models for networks that include women in the professional fields, then it will be difficult for women to break into nontraditionally female dominated careers or disciplines.
T: What is your role in the club and why is this important to you?
A: I am the president and co-founder of Women in STEM alongside Caitlyn Winders and Kaetlyn Lee. I recently joined Pi Beta Phi and met many women in STEM fields who did not have the support that I did growing up. I want to create an environment of supportive women who also challenge each other to go for it as my family challenged me. I want to lead by example, but I also want to be a mentor and a source of support for other women who are looking for that.
T: What are your goals for Women in STEM? What kind of dialogue do you hope this new club will open up on campus?
A: This club aims to create a place where women in STEM fields feel comfortable voicing their opinions, emotions, and ideas. That being said, I believe that this club needs to be open to all people no matter how they identify. We need to open up the floor for those who feel like they are not represented in STEM and who do not feel their voices are being heard. I hope that we can begin to discuss this topic more openly and that we can engage faculty and staff in the conversation.
T: What kind of support have you received so far? How can Emory women get involved?
A: We are officially chartered by Women in Technology, a non-profit, Atlanta based organization that brings together college aged women and professionals in STEM disciplines. We have quite a few faculty members involved and committed to work with our organization to make changes both in the Emory community and in the surrounding Atlanta community. Anyone who is interested in networking, in a support group, or just in a place to feel comfortable voicing their voice about women in STEM should reach out to me directly at asabine@emory.edu.