Speakers encourage girls to pursue computer science

To further the effort to promote women’s involvement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) Los Gatos High School held an hour long presentation called “Empowering Women and Girls in Technology” on Oct. 7. The audience consisted of local middle school and high school girls and their parents.

A panel of high school students, college students and Los Gatos computer science teacher Cathy Messenger presented their experiences in the STEM fields.

One of the high schoolers on the panel, junior Anne Zepecki said STEM is an important field for women.

“I know from personal experience that women are underrepresented in technology and science, especially in computer science and I believe that that is definitely something that should change,” Zepecki said.

Zepecki was one of the five students who presented on behalf of Los Gatos High School’s advanced computer science program, Advanced Science Research (ASR), which allows students to have an individualized approach to learning the subject.

Four college students also spoke about their experiences and careers in computer science. April Grow, currently working on earning her PhD at U.C. Santa Cruz in video game design, has spoken in many talks like this about video game designing and women’s rights, and has found her niche in the STEM world.

“I found a home with equally weird people who love games and had passions for programming and making their own visions come true,” Grow said.

The presentation encouraged girls to pursue math and science and to succeed in high school. One of the key points was to be a well-rounded person and not to give up or feel overwhelmed by being around other high-achieving students.

Saratoga freshman Jocelyn Chen said the presentation encouraged her to continue in math and sciences.

“I think it was pretty interesting to hear the stories that [the panelists] shared and I learned a lot about their experiences,” Chen said.

Encouraged by the presentation’s great outcome, Zepecki believes if this progress continues, the STEM fields will be greatly strengthened.

“There are so many smart, capable women out there that would be contributing so much to the different fields,” Zepecki said.