Building on the success of its first-ever STEM Symposium this summer, the Boys & Girls Clubs Maryland Alliance convened again in early December to host a second event introducing kids to careers in STEM.
“The overarching theme of this Symposium was to showcase nontraditional STEM fields, and demonstrate to our members that there are many, many professional avenues to advance their study of STEM,” explained Kaitlin Keefer, BGCMB’s STEM Program Director. The Symposium took place over the course of four days, December 7 –10, and featured the following topics: Women in STEM, Life Sciences, Technology, and Architecture & Engineering. Among the guests were a physical therapist, ornithologist, sanitation pathologist and meteorologist.
The event was open to both Club members as well as kids yet to be affiliated with a Club via the virtual platform, Clubhouse @YourHouse. Boys & Girls Club staff from across the state teamed up to recruit professionals representing a swath of different backgrounds. “It’s important to show our members that there are people who look like them working in these fields. Identifying with a person supports their interest in the subject,” underscored Kaitlin, adding, “These events are especially important for our girls, who around fifth or sixth grade, start to see STEM as a boy subject and not an everybody subject.”