Inside the Chicas Program: Tackling Latina Underrepresentation in STEM Fields [VIDEO]
In early 2018 I typed into Google the words “Latina youth, empower, advocacy, after school”.
Not exactly a proper sentence but I felt it perfectly encompassed what I was in search of, so I trusted Google to make sense of the rambling and render some good results for career opportunities working with the Latinx community, specifically, with youth.
Despite the poor grammar, the top search result delivered the Adelante Mujeres website. I read about the organization and learned it was a scrappy, homegrown non-profit, with a simple yet exceptional mission: to empower Latina women and their families. Right away I knew I wanted to be part of it. Luckily for me, their Chicas Program, a youth development after-school program that provides advocacy, educational, and empowering opportunities to Latina youth, was hiring.
Since joining the team, a little under three years now, I’ve had the opportunity to showcase my strengths as a creative using arts and crafts to facilitate sessions for our participants. The Chicas Program encourages creativity in its participants and team members alike to create a supportive environment of learning and growth.
However, just as the program works to highlight strengths and appease fun interests, it also pushes for development and hard work. With expectations of this sort, Chicas has been able to continuously evolve as a program to not only be known for how much fun it is, but for its dedication to exposing girls to challenging things in a positive and reassuring manner.
Angela Valenzuela, Chicas Youth Development Advocate at Adelante Mujeres, helps lead a Chicas session.
In the U.S., only 12% of science and engineering bachelor's degrees are awarded to minority women.
As a facilitator whose strong suit is focused on arts and crafts, I’ll admit, this was a bit daunting. Let me explain why. Truthfully, my personal interest in STEM dwindled significantly after elementary school. Intimidation by the subject matter and lack of access to materials played a huge role in my disinterest in STEM, and unfortunately, many girls have similar experiences to mine. In fact, it’s an unfortunate reality that women of color, specifically Latina women, are severely underrepresented in the fields of STEM.
Enter here the development and implementation of Chicas STEM programming as a response to help increase our participants’ interests in the topics of STEM.
Without a doubt, Adelante Mujeres as an organization recognizes the disparity in STEM competency in Latina youth.
It’s precisely this in-depth comprehension that propels Adelante Mujeres to form partnerships that promote the cultivation of a more positive mindset toward the subjects of science, technology, engineering, and math in our Latina participants. Adelante makes certain they create partnerships with programs, corporations, and organizations whose missions align with our objectives and can support us in accomplishing this goal.
One successful collaboration is with Intel and their She Will Connect program.
Intel believes technology opens the doors to opportunity, and they are committed to empowering girls and young women through technology and hands-on STEM experiences. Through Intel® She Will Connect U.S., they are connecting middle school girls to hands-on technology experiences to inspire them to become innovators and encourage their interests in technology, engineering, and computer science.
They are focusing on programs and collaborations that emphasize hands-on STEM activities, use peer mentors and role models, and make a clear connection between technology careers and real-world applications that drive positive social impact.
Girls in the Chicas STEM summer camp learn how to create parachutes.
In February 2019, Intel Foundation awarded Adelante Mujeres and Hillsboro School District, a district serving one of the highest rates of Latinx students in Oregon, with a two-year grant award for $250,000. This funding supported Hillsboro School District and Adelante Mujeres Chicas Program as a coalition, in a partnership with the City of Hillsboro, to implement the El Camino project. El Camino is Spanish for pathway, reflecting the project’s focus on creating a path for underrepresented girls to STEM careers.
Thanks to this innovative partnership and the money awarded by Intel, 76 Latina-identifying Chicas participants at Witch Hazel Elementary School, Evergreen Middle School, and South Meadows Middle School had the opportunity to participate in culturally-responsive and bilingual programming aimed to increase student interest and attendance in STEM topics while doing hands-on projects. Chicas, Hillsboro School District, and the City worked together to close the gender gap and increase STEM visibility and excitement for girls ages 11-14.
Sharpening those engineering skills during a Chicas STEM summer camp session.
As a result of presenting STEM activities to our girls in a relatable and genuine manner, 88% of them reported being more comfortable with doing STEM-related activities after the sessions.
In fact, 42% of the Chicas involved in the program go on to pursue STEM careers after high school.
I clearly remember Julissa, an 8th grade student at South Meadows, playfully exclaiming, “I’m a scientist now!” as she walked past one of her teachers in the hallway during the second session of the series.
This is exciting news because these results show that collaborations like the one between Adelante Mujeres and Intel are imperative to the growth of that number. These types of partnerships help accomplish the goal of forming more Latina leaders in the fields of STEM. Pairing the support from Intel’s She Will Connect grant with Chicas STEM programming, including our new Chicas Makerspace, one of the first Latina-only STEM spaces, we can continue to encourage our participants to familiarize themselves with basic STEM knowledge and tools to develop the mentality of a true STEM creative. Intel contributed volunteer time and funding to outfit our new Chicas Makerspace with furniture, art supplies, STEM kits, and a 3D printer.
The brand new Adelante Mujeres Chicas Makerspace (currently closed due to COVID-19)
I could not be happier to be part of the Chicas team, helping lead programming backed by other great programs like She Will Connect so that our participants are not stunned by the opportunities they may encounter in their future. We want to incite curiosity and provide a safe and comfortable space where our girls feel empowered and confident enough to ask questions, to play around with ideas and innovate using cool materials. Ultimately, our Chicas participants will not be limited by a lack of knowledge or access to materials like I, and many other girls, were.
Watch to learn more about the Intel + Adelante Mujeres partnership, and what that means for our Chicas STEM programming:
Angela Valenzuela is a guest blogger and Chicas Youth Facilitator and Project Developer at Adelante Mujeres. She is originally from Sinaloa, Mexico, and grew up in north Portland. She graduated in 2016 from Washington State University Vancouver with a B.A. in Humanities with a Primary Focus in English and Secondary Focus in Sociology, as well as with a Minor in Spanish.