After taking the required fabrications and CAD classes while at Eliot, Junior Taylor Breen didnt expect anything less from the classes at Morgan. Walking into Engineering her freshman year, she quickly realized the environment wasnt the same. Three years later Breen still feels this difference with only 12% of girls making up these classes.
Holding onto a passion for engineering, Taylor Breen founded a new Women in STEM club two weeks ago, giving girls in Morgan a place to explore fields which are dominated by men. Breen said, “I think it will also make them feel like there is a sense of community and a sense of support for women in STEM.”
Breen mentioned, “in middle school, taking fabrications and CAD classes first introduced me. I really liked it, and that’s when my personal passion for engineering began.”
Breen came up with the idea in December when she was talking to her guidance counselor about how she can make a difference while in Morgan. After brainstorming, she decided a Women in STEM club was a perfect way to represent girls interested in STEM and help build confidence in pursuing a career in it.
“I wanted to make something that was for the women in our school who are interested in STEM because there’s so few of them,” said Breen.
Taking initiative, Breen talked to the Tech Ed teachers at Morganzz and gathered about 15 peers that would like to join the club. Breen said, “I had a lot of friends who I knew were going to join because I have some friends in my engieering and robots class who are very interested in STEM.”
The woman in the STEM club focuses on hands-on experiences and collaboration. Breen has been working with club supervisor and Tech Ed teacher Alex DiStefano to plan events for the future. Breen wants to have a beach cleanup and guest speakers to continue encouraging women to join STEM. Breen said, “I would say the beach clean up relates to the science part of STEM, and taking care of the Earth, which is just as important as creating new inventions for the Earth!”
While there are classes that students can take at Morgan to support their passion for STEM, Breen hopes this club will help students get more experience. DiStefano said, “I think it will give them opportunities to explore stem fields outside of the classroom.”
Beyond projects, this club highlights the underrepresentation of women in STEM. According to ASME only about 16 to 20 percent of engineers are women, being a male dominated field, Breen can already see this being one of very few girls taking STEM classes at Morgan. Experiencing this, Breen hopes to shift the narrative and show that women are capable of pursuing it too.
“I think it’s really to raise awareness about women in STEM, because it’s a male dominated field and I want women in our school to feel comfortable taking STEM classes and being interested in STEM even though there are so few girls per class,” said Breen.
DiStefano was very excited to be a part of the new club, DiStefano shared, “I think anytime that we can get more people into STEM, and especially a field that is primarily dominated by men, anytime that we can get women into it and be excited about it is awesome.”
DisStefano recognizes the importance of breaking the gender barrier and continuing to promote STEM to everyone. He acknowledges the rising use of AI that could potentially take over these jobs. “We need as many people in STEM as possible, as AI and all this new technology is growing,” DiStefano said.
Breen and DiStefano have been working together to see what the near future will hold. With hopes of integrating younger students from Eliot and a guest speaker working in STEM to give the women more insight. DiStefano said, “They’re also trying to get a woman who’s in STEM right now in the field to come and talk to them about what it’s like for them and how they book down their stereo, stereotypes and stuff like that, to make themselves successful in that field.”
“You should make your own decisions and explore what you truly want, even if you’re the only one doing it,” closed Breen.
