You are not good enough. A phrase heard time and time again by women all over the world, despite the slow marching progress we make toward gender equality. Women in STEM are all too familiar with this idea; working in a male-dominated industry where we are constantly subject to scrutiny.
Throughout high school I tried to take as many science classes as possible, always choosing accelerated or AP classes so I could absorb even more information. I constantly found myself as one of the few girls in these classes, and I began to realize how quickly girls would drop science because they felt discouraged or outnumbered in the presence of overconfident male students. I have dealt with my fair share of immature boys who enjoy criticizing me in class; whether it be comments on my supposed skills in the kitchen or my “try-hard attitude” during class.
This was when I found Wonder Women; a club at my school which aimed to encourage young girls in STEM. The goal was to have high school girls with a passion for STEM tutor middle school girls and help them with their science and math classwork. These girls had a support system that they could fall back on when they felt discouraged, and we could help them not only to thrive in their science classes but also foster a love for science and math from a young age. I loved being able to watch the girls grow from frustrated and timid students into confident and impassioned learners. I wanted to teach them that STEM was just as much a place for them as it was for any other student.
This club introduced me for the first time to the idea that truly amazing things can be done when we work together. No, wait, don’t roll your eyes! I know this is such a sickly sweet, overused phrase that feels straight out of a kindergarten picture book: but there is so much truth in that statement. An overwhelming amount of truth cannot be ignored. Think about the times people have collaborated: whether on a massive scale that changed the course of history, or just a couple of neighbors in your community. It seems oversimplified and obvious but genuine cooperation is the only way we can make progress in this world; banning together the voices of thousands to bolster the message of one is the way we implement and exact the changes we wish to see in our lives. So grab your best friend, your mother, your grandmother, your teacher, and mentors, and role models. Hell, grab random strangers and ask if they want to make a difference for the better and tell them that you’re going to do exactly that, so they better join you for the ride. It doesn’t matter if they’re a man or a woman, or any identity in between: we need their voices and we need them now. So take a chapter out of your kindergarten teacher’s book and start working together. Start struggling toward a means to an end in the company of your friends, family, and random strangers; because in this shared passion and drive for a better future you will find the most genuine people you will ever meet.
If I ever feel unmotivated or discouraged, I think about those girls in Wonder Women. I think about the smiles on their faces every time they walked into that chemistry lab and the way they supported one another with unfaltering positivity. And it reminds me that this love and encouragement is why I keep working. So please, remember that we are stronger together and go out into the world having the audacity to be good enough.