Women make up only 13 percent of engineers, 25 percent of the computer and mathematical science workforce, and 39 percent of chemists and material scientists, according to ngcproject.org.  Convent of the Sacred Heart seniors Lizzie Considine, Lydia Currie, Erin Schick, and Gracie Smith hope to change these statistics by stemming into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). 
Lizzie, Lydia, Erin, and Gracie each studied either science, technology, engineering, or math at Sacred Heart, and they will continue their STEM education in college.

Lizzie’s childhood and health history influenced her to participate in premedical studies next year in college, while Robotics, Seminar in Computer Programming, AP Computer Science, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, and AP Calculus AB advanced her interest in STEM at Sacred Heart. Lizzie Considine intends to major in human science at the Georgetown University school of Nursing and Health Studies.
“When I was 18 months old, I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, and ever since then I have had the best doctors, in a variety of fields,” Lizzie said. “I’ve always wanted to figure out how things work, and STEM is the perfect field for me in that regard.”
Last year, Principles of Computing introduced Gracie Smith to coding, which developed her passion in STEM. She currently takes AP Computer Science A. Gracie plans on studying computer science at Villanova University.
“I have always loved puzzles and math and I think Computer Science is a mix of those two things. I think it’s very rewarding to be faced with a problem and to be able to create the solution,” Gracie Smith said.
Gracie is eager to learn more about computers and technology in college through internships and research.
“Throughout college, I am looking forward to getting lots of internships and research opportunities. Its very interesting to see how much code exists in people’s daily lives without realizing it,” Gracie said.
Upper School, math and science courses, specifically biology and physics, deeply influenced Lydia to continue her STEM education. Lydia Currie aims on double majoring in neuroscience and dance at the University of Rochester.
“I always love going into a science class and learning about the world around me, and especially learning about mysteries in the world,” said Lydia. “I also love math because I have always been better at thinking in numbers.”
Lydia worked at Zaniac Learning Center, an after-school learning program where children in kindergarten through eighth grade take classes in areas of STEM. She taught math in each grade level and instructed a fashion design course, which allows children to use computer programs to create their own designs, fabrics, and templates for clothes.
“The fashion design course is extremely creative and innovative. It has helped me learn more about computer programming and how to teach STEM concepts to kids, who are new to them,” Lydia said.
Erin is enthusiastic about representing women in STEM in college. She plans on studying computer science at the University of Maryland next year.
“There is a huge shortage of women in Computer Science, so I’m really honored to be able to represent a minority at University of Maryland next year,” Erin said.
-Maddie Squire, Staff Writer