Million Women Mentors now has a Maryland chapter

Over the last three years, Million Women Mentors has looked to address the gender gap in STEM fields by establishing relationships from an early age. The initiative passed its initial goal of setting up mentoring relationships in the STEM fields, announcing earlier this week that it’s on the way to 2 million mentoring pledges, with 1.766 currently recorded.

Today's the day! We're announcing 1.766M Pledge Commitments & 800K+ Completed Mentorships at #MWMSenate17 at 12:30ET https://t.co/DgfVYleqE7 pic.twitter.com/IBkMYjO9bo

— Million Women Mentors (@MillionWMentors) March 15, 2017

Maryland organizers want to assist in reaching the next milestone. The state’s chapter officially launched last week on International Women’s Day, but there’s still a chance to get involved, said Jeanne Martin, the co-chair of the chapter.
It’s roughly the same idea that’s applied for organizations like Boys and Girls Clubs: having support in a one-to-one relationship helps people stay on track. Million Women Mentors is seeking to take a targeted approach from an early age while also providing support in all STEM jobs. Martin said mentoring can help raise awareness about STEM among girls from grade school, and continue to support them as they build skills and enter the workforce.
“It’s about having girls who have mentors throughout their lives in these areas,” she said.
Along with providing encouragement and building skills, working with a woman helps to develop role models in STEM.
Martin said the Maryland chapter’s steering committee will be visiting different areas of the state as they seek to build a network in six regions of the state, including Baltimore. They’re seeking out new organizations, and identifying folks who are already involved in mentoring.