Yale Club of Dallas event introduces young women to STEM careers

Young women in grades 6 to 12 learned about careers in STEM industries from women already working in those fields at “Dallas WEST: Women in Engineering, Science, and Technology,” sponsored by the Yale Club of Dallas and the School of Science and Engineering Magnet at the Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center on March 11.

The day included demonstrations and activities, such as building drones to track the climate of the world’s oceans and learning about artificial intelligence in robots. There was also a keynote address by Shanta Whitaker ’08 Ph.D., who growing up in a small town in Virginia with the dream of being a medical doctor to studying microbiology at Yale and eventually pursuing a career in health policy. Whitaker cautioned the young women that it is important to look at the entirety of someone’s story, not just the ending.

The president of the Yale Club of Dallas, Erick Brewer ’99, is a board member of Big Thought, an organization devoted to bringing educational opportunities to under-resourced students. Since assuming the presidency, Brewer has focused on engaging Yale alumni on community projects that impact youth.

Alumni throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area helped to support the event.

Roberto Martinez ’85 volunteered for the day and said he is excited about the possibility of continuing the event next year: “This is a great event, and I look forward to seeing how Yale Club of Dallas engages students around the sciences in the future.”

Aneesa Noorani ’16, a healthcare IT professional, said, “It was great to give girls that reminded me of myself five years ago an opportunity that I never had.”

To learn more about the Yale Club Dallas, visit its websitehttp://www.yaleclubdallas.org/.