There’s a new STEM advocacy group in town

As a technical support engineer at Siemens, Enala Mwashitete troubleshoots devices and provides lab consulting. In her time at Siemens, she noticed something peculiar.
“There was a great need for people to be involved in outside work environment activities,” she said recently at an event at 1313 Innovation.
So, Mwashitete founded a group she’s calling Women and Men in STEM, an organization that aims to connect STEM professionals to each other through community service, educational forums and outreach.
“The goal and mission of this group is to foster professional and personal growth for people [in STEM],” she said.
“What better way to support the community and give back than if I am able to contribute the skills and knowledge I acquired in college and working at Siemens to support my community?” she asked.
Women and Men in STEM targets two groups — STEM professionals looking for opportunities to grow, and potential young professionals who are looking for resources and opportunities to get into the field.
The group’s first event featured a keynote speech titled “Diversity of Though: Expanding Our Consciousness” from motivational speaker Allyne Henesey. The next event, said Mwashitete, will feature an address from Incyte Vice President Kris Vaddi.