An interview with Ananya Asthana, the girl boss behind Women in STEM (WiSTEM).
September 1st, 2019 Writer: Mishti Dhawan Editor: Minha Virk Science/Technology
For rising high school senior Ananya Asthana, keeping busy means creating change. Whether that means leading her non-profit organization, Women in STEM, or more artistic endeavors, Ananya is certainly giving her all to help the world around her. STEMTeen’s co-founder Mishti Dhawan sat down with Ananya to chat about increasing female representation in the STEM world and discuss how other girls can get involved in the movement.
MD: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
AA: I am a rising senior at the University of Chicago Lab High School, and I am the founder and president of Women in STEM. I am passionate about social impact and innovation and would love to explore the social sector further as an entrepreneur or in some other capacity in the future. Outside of WiSTEM, I lead my school’s Model UN Team and creative arts magazine, both of which I really love being part of. I also run the Chicago Youth Science Journal and edit for an online creative feminist magazine, Dear Damsels. In my free time, I am an aspiring yogi and watch aggressively mediocre TV.
MD: If you were to describe your organization to a stranger, what would you say?
AA: WiSTEM supplements young women’s talent with resources and social networks. We work within high schools through “chapters,” which are clubs led by our ambassadors, to enable young female leadership and to offer opportunities and pathways for women to actualize their goals. We believe that there’s a gap to be filled for young women in terms of building confidence and building networks, so through our three main initiatives: outreach to underserved communities and elementary schoolers, mentorship with universities, and networking events with successful female professors and professionals, we are able to be that resource for over 550 girls in over 25 schools.
MD: What inspired you to start WiSTEM?
AA: I started WiSTEM in March of 2017, and I was motivated to create a club at my school that was a community to bring young women together and to bridge the gap between social justice and academic channels. There was this divide at my school, and as it appears, at many, where social justice clubs rarely overlapped with competitive, STEM-oriented ones, which meant that advocacy rarely could come to fruition on the STEM side of my school. After reaching out to professors at several universities and professionals from certain companies as well as other high schools, it became apparent that there was more to be done, but not with regards to technical talent. Women are more than qualified to pursue STEM, yet they still did not, and there were plenty of organizations already providing that training to young women. What I recognized is that women lacked the confidence that comes from representation, so I decided to start WiSTEM to build networks for young women.
MD: What was the biggest challenge you faced when you started WiSTEM?
AA: The biggest challenge I faced was the rapid rate of growth we experienced. There was clearly a demonstrated need for an organization like this, which focuses on building communities within schools of empowered women, and we discovered this as we began to scale. While welcome, this exponential growth posed a challenge with school coordination and ensuring that all chapters represent quality programming. We recently appointed leadership positions for ambassadors to apply for within the organization to facilitate chapter communication, while still looking for sustainable ways to match our pace.
MD: What work does your organization do to provide young girls the opportunity to explore STEM?
AA: We use three main initiatives: outreach, mentorship, and networking. These initiatives are spearheaded by each of our individual chapters, and they use their clubs in their schools as agents for change. Beyond the obvious benefits of mentorship and representation, WiSTEM taps into the development of soft skills and networks to support high school girls in achieving their dreams. Young women often feel lost as to how to advocate for themselves or achieve certain goals, and WiSTEM enables leadership opportunities both through the organizational leadership positions we offer along with just the ability.
MD: How can girls passionate about STEM get involved with WiSTEM?
AA: Any high school girl is eligible to be a WiSTEM ambassador for her school! They can submit a form on our website, and we reach out to them within a couple of days to get started on the registration process. Being a WiSTEM ambassador means leading a WiSTEM club at your school, having access to exclusive resources such as alumni and our National Advisory Council, and gaining leadership experience. You can also check out our existing chapters on our website and social media to see if there’s a chapter already at your school!
MD: If there was one thing that you could tell young girls about chasing their passions, what would you say?
AA: I’ve said this before, and it’s my number one piece of advice to anyone.
I believe deeply in the value of reaching out and building relationships. People are much more willing to help than we anticipate, and we should not hesitate to take initiative. Jumpstarting your own success is key, and don’t hold back when it comes to reaching out. The people you meet and connect with are integral to your own success, and that’s also a big part of our core mission at WiSTEM.
Thank you Ananya for doing an interview with us!
If you’re a girl interested in STEM-- check out WiSTEM’s website to learn about how you can get involved! And to all of our readers, if you like what you’re seeing on our blog, apply to join our team.
Comments