“Find your passion and figure out how to turn it into a career. Then work won’t seem like work,” State Cyber Security Officer Elayne Starkey encouraged the nearly 300 teen girls who attended DigiGirlz Day Tuesday.
According to a study done by Microsoft earlier this year, most girls lose interest in STEM around the age of 15. One major reason for the loss of interest is that girls are not getting enough practical, hands-on experience with STEM subjects.
Microsoft and the Delaware Department of Technology and Information, who sponsored DigiGirlz Day along with JPMorgan Chase and Dell, hoped to help correct the imbalance of diversity in STEM-based occupations.
The seventh annual event, which gave eighth and ninth grade girls an inside glimpse at the various rewarding and fulfilling career opportunities STEM has to offer, was held on the Dover campus of Wilmington University.
Attendees were able to write code and create a video game, learn how to detect hacks through cybersecurity and forensics and discover the role chemistry has in the manufacturing of beauty products.
Throughout the afternoon, the young ladies also heard from speakers, who currently hold jobs in the technology and science field, about the importance of pursuing a career in STEM.
“We need you in technology to help figure out the solutions of the future,” state Chief Information Officer James Collins told the group.
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