I often reflect on my journey and the influences that led me to become a teacher. As a Vietnamese American woman, I lacked role models who looked like me in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) growing up. STEM felt like an exclusive unwelcoming space. They were subjects that I felt I wasn’t welcome to excel in. I recently listened to an interview between Amanda Nguyen, the first Vietnamese Woman Astronaut, and Pivotal, one of Melinda Gates’s Philanthropies.
“We came on boats, and now we’re on spaceships. To me, that represents the resiliency of our community, but I hope it also inspires other people to know that they belong in these spaces. I’m the first, but I won’t be the last. I want young Vietnamese, Southeast Asian, Asian-American women to see this and understand that they deserve to dream big. Even if those dreams are literally out of this world, we can achieve it.”
-Amanda Nguyen
Amanda Nguyen is more than a trailblazer in the field of astronomy. She is a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, a TIME Woman of the Year, and the founder of Rise, a nonprofit advocating for survivors of sexual violence and gender equality on behalf of the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. She strives to empower women and continues to create a lasting movement. To ensure equity for women, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) individuals, and people with disabilities in STEM fields we have far to go.
Statistically Speaking…
- Women: Women compose 50% of the college-educated workforce but hold only 28% of STEM jobs, with low representation in engineering and computer science. While health-related fields have seen improvement, other areas continue to lag (PEW Research).
- BIPOC Individuals: Hispanic workers represent 17% of the total workforce but only 8% of STEM jobs. Similarly, Black workers make up 11% of the workforce but hold 9% of STEM roles (NSF). Both are significantly underrepresented.
- People with Disabilities: Individuals with disabilities encounter systemic barriers, including a lack of accessibility in educational environments and biases in hiring practices.
Why Representation in STEM is Crucial
Representation in STEM is more than just a buzzword or a public image; it’s a necessity. Students should see people who look like them in fields they may have never considered, to feel supported and empowered to pursue careers. Research from the NeuroLeadership Institute shows that diverse teams outperform homogeneous ones, where the subject and the individuals benefit from the collaboration.
Encouraging My Students to Pursue STEM
Students are extremely perceptive to what their educators do and show. Students learn so much more than just the information given to them.
How I foster STEM awareness in my classroom:
- STEM Accessibility: engage students through hands-on opportunities, projects, experiments, and extracurricular activities such as women in STEM, Science Olympiad, and robotics
- Diverse Role Models: Showcase figures like Amanda Nguyen, Mae Jemison, and George Washington Carver to be inspirations in student materials, lessons,
- Inclusive Learning Environment: Students can collaborate while taking risks and exploring concepts on projects openly and learn from one another
- Real-World Applications: I plan to organize visits and guest speakers to share their real-world STEM applications and career paths
- Cultural Contexts: Highlighting cultural innovations to spark conversations and discussions that make topics more relatable.
Amanda Nguyen said, “I’m the first, but I won’t be the last.” As educators, we are responsible for ensuring this statement is true. By fostering inclusive environments, we can help every student Feel welcome in STEM Fields. All students deserve the chance to reach for the stars. Whether they dream of becoming astronauts, engineers, or mathematicians, the future of STEM is for everyone.
Sources:
“Picture a Scientist: Why Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Matter in STEMM.” YouTube, uploaded by PBS Science, 23 April 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diFrz4RENEY.
“Diversity and STEM: Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities 2023.” YouTube, uploaded by NSF NCSES, 27 January 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUAQNCEXxAc.
Diversity and STEM: Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities 2023. NSF – National Science Foundation, 2023, https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf23315/.
Funk, Cary, and Kim Parker. “STEM Jobs See Uneven Progress in Increasing Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Diversity.” Pew Research Center, 1 April 2021, https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2021/04/01/stem-jobs-see-uneven-progress-in-increasing-gender-racial-and-ethnic-diversity/.
Nguyen, Amanda. “We Came on Boats, and Now We’re on Spaceships.” Pivotal Ventures, 13 September 2021, https://www.pivotalventures.org/articles/amanda-nguyen-we-came-on-boats-and-now-were-on-spaceships.
How do you encourage collaboration among educators to share best practices for increasing representation in STEM?
I like your note that “students learn so much more than just the information given to them” because it is definitely not uncommon to overlook the personal knowledge held by students. I also liked your decision to include real-world application with visits and guest speakers because, if done right, I feel it can make the field less distant to them by including them early.
Wow this was very interesting! I really like how you brought in Amanda Nguyen into this as others can connect with it. With real world applications, how can it relate to Environmental Science and how can you relate it to multiple demographics and not just one?
All of my suggestions can be applied to different demographics to fit the needs of your classroom! it’s important to have representation of all people in the classroom!