Paige (she/her/hers), 16, Pennsylvania

“I would love to tell you my STEM story. When I was younger, I always stressed over what truly interested me and what career I wanted to pursue. For me, it all changed the summer before my freshman year when I attended an Artificial Intelligence camp offered by the Boys and Girls Club of Western Pennsylvania. I went into the camp wanting absolutely nothing to do with robotics or programming, but little did I know how impactful that camp would be as it was a catalyst to my deep interest in STEM, primarily technology and engineering. I honestly never had an interest in STEM especially when I was younger because all I wanted to do was be a hairstylist or pursue another occupation, but my whole entire life goals shifted as soon as I entered the Artificial Intelligence Program. The barriers for me whenever it has come to STEM have been mainly the challenges that came to me that I thought I was not prepared for. As I entered into the robotics and programming type of work, I thought I was not prepared or even not good enough for some of the challenges against me, but I thankfully had amazing mentors that guided me and helped me through it all. They let me know that I was capable of doing what I thought I couldn’t do which motivated me greatly. My mentors that assisted and encouraged me to pursue STEM have helped tremendously and honestly they have been the reason I have gotten through the barriers I needed to get through. The most important thing I have learned in STEM is that I have to fail forward, meaning no matter what I mess up on, I keep on going despite the struggles and once I persist through any problem there is always a solution.  The most rewarding outcome from being involved in STEM is the skills that come along with the area. Since I am so heavily involved in programming and robotics now, I finally understand that the problem-solving and patience that comes with the struggles produce the best result. I am so excited to pursue a STEM major and career after I graduate high school. The experiences that I have had thus far so early in my STEM journey have been astounding. I’ve participated in a number of activities that I absolutely loved such as hands-on robotics building, programming small robots and games, learning about aspects of Artificial Intelligence, getting real world experience, and more. I have realized that I have found what I love to do and it is the best feeling ever.Thank you for listening to my STEM story!”