Girls flourish when given the opportunity to try new things in a safe environment. At Girls Inc. of Greater Houston our girls are able to explore rocket science, coding, chemistry and much more together, alongside mentors and volunteers.
Women are historically under recognized and underrepresented in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Girls Inc. STEM programs teach girls about these fields through discovery based experiments and introduce them to women role models.
For the past three years, Girls Inc. of Greater Houston has partnered with McWhirter Elementary in Clear Creek ISD to provide Girls Inc. Operation SMART programs to their students. Operation SMART is a philosophy and approach to stimulate girls’ interest in STEM. Through this program girls explore SMART STEM-related concepts with hands-on activities that allow them to ask questions, explore, and solve problems. In conjunction with the school partnership, Lockheed Martin is a corporate partner, providing employees in various STEM careers to volunteer as program co-facilitators with the girls.
This past May, participants of the program took part in a special tour of Johnson Space Center. Aside from a tour of the facilities, there was an opportunity for the girls to meet women in STEM working for NASA. One of those women was Dr. Ellen Ochoa, the first Hispanic woman astronaut, and the 11th director of the Johnson Space Center. The girls were inspired by these women’s stories, and had the opportunity to ask them questions about their experience as a woman working in the STEM field.
As a partner of Girls Inc. of Greater Houston, you help girls develop enthusiasm and skills in STEM, making it easier for them to consider a career in the field. Girls Inc. programs helps girls understand and value the connection between academic success and career development.