​As we look ahead at years to come, it's inspiring to see that STEM fields have experienced nearly 20% growth, with a promising future on the horizon. However, a crucial element is still lacking: the representation of women in these fields, which hovers around 28-30% of the STEM workforce. This gap is even wider in leadership and research positions. Despite the growing opportunities within STEM, many girls encounter implicit biases and a scarcity of visible female role models, making it challenging for them to envision themselves in these important fields that are often perceived as male-dominated.

One remarkable story comes from a member of the LAUNCH Team, a fellow student and Girl Scout, who recognized this disparity. Reflecting on her own childhood, she recalled her fascination with STEM and robotics but felt unsure of how to embark on that journey. Determined to create a change, she collaborated with a fellow Girl Scout to inspire younger girls to explore STEM while also working towards their Silver Awards.

Their vision starts with a meaningful connection through the LAUNCH Team’s initiative. They will be donating numerous Lego kits to the Girl Scouts Arizona Cactus Pine Council. Each kit is accompanied by a comprehensive curriculum designed to help these girls earn multiple badges, complemented by a booklet and video resources. This initiative ensures that all girls will have the opportunity to learn and thrive in STEM, paving the way for a more inclusive future. Together, we can build a foundation of support and encouragement that nurtures the next generation of female innovators and leaders in STEM.

Women in STEM are extremely important to the world. Some of the greatest inventions in the world were made by women, like the first dishwasher, coffee filters, frequency hopping, which is a precursor to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. STEM is science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. These fields are strongly male-dominated, but this needs to change. We need to work together to equalize the ratio between men and women. While traditionally it has been a male-dominated field in the past, women are equally suited for robotics and STEM-based jobs. Women deserve equal representation and opportunity in these fields. 

In order to support women in STEM, Team Hazmat went to the TWIST tech challenge on June 21, 2025, at Mukwonago High School. This event centers around girls in FIRST, to support women.  During the competition, all drivers were girls, and our team’s female drivers had one practice session before they had to compete. From only being able to pick up one specimen to picking up 13 in only six rounds, the girls on team Hazmat performed well, showing how women can do anything when they set their minds to it. Beyond the win, the event offered a meaningful and empowering experience for the girls who participated.

​The girls who had attended had an enriching journey, getting the chance to drive and compete. The judges did a great job of making sure the girls were engaged: one of our drivers said that the experience made her more engaged both on and off the field. 
 
From this experience, our members noticed that very few teams participated. We would like to see more support in the coming years. We will always reinforce ladies in STEM, but we all need to bind together and help support girls who are in and/or interested in STEM. In order to help fix the errors in the opportunity for women in STEM, we all should support women and recode the general public's perspective on women in STEM. We can begin to fix the imbalance in STEM by actively supporting women and changing how society perceives their role in these fields. Help us build a world where women are the formula of STEM. Let’s stop short-circuiting opportunities—women belong in STEM just as much as men do.

Girls in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and pageantry may seem like two completely different worlds, but for Vikas Sankar, they have complemented each other in inspiring ways.

Vikas entered the STEM field at the remarkable age of six. She has actively participated in the World Robotics Competition and has been a member of the FIRST LEGO League Junior Team in St. Louis twice. When she began building and coding metal robots in middle school, she was the only girl on her team, but she thrived. Her contributions helped her FIRST TECH Challenge Team win the Judges Award, showing that passion and skill know no gender.

In recent years, efforts to inspire girls to enter STEM have increased through programs and initiatives aimed at providing opportunities and support. Yet Vikas has been breaking stereotypes long before these efforts became mainstream.

As a junior in high school, Vikas stepped out of her comfort zone to participate in high school pageantry. The experience provided a platform to showcase not only her talents but also her STEM skills. For the talent portion, she creatively danced with robots on stage, merging technology and artistry. During the interview portion, she confidently discussed her STEM achievements and knowledge.

Pageantry also allowed Vikas to promote STEM to a wider audience, inspiring those who might not have considered it as a career path. She has received the Aspiration in Computing Award from the National Center for Women in Technology and serves as a paid intern through the Mayor’s Youth at Work Partnership in Jacksonville. In this role, she engages with children at the Ronald McDonald House, encouraging curiosity and learning.

Her pageant experience has become a powerful platform for educating and inspiring others, especially young girls, about the relevance and impact of STEM in everyday life. She was also honored with the Miss Stanton Award at Stanton College Preparatory School.

Today, Vikas is pursuing Biomedical Sciences on a Pre-Med Track at the University of Central Florida, continuing to merge her passions for science, technology, and community impact.
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Her journey shows that girls in STEM and pageantry can complement each other, promoting gender equality and encouraging young women to pursue their passions, whether on the stage or in the lab.

​In a student-led robotics team, what does effective leadership look like, and how does it grow? To answer this question, we interviewed 1072’s Executive President, Brenna Ren. Ascending to executive presidency in her senior year, Brenna continues the long-running pattern of female executive presidents on the team.  She began her leadership journey early, beginning as a software lead during her freshman year and becoming a director by the middle of her sophomore year. She explained that although her motivation to ascend the ranks came partly from necessity, it also stemmed from a personal desire to understand how the team functioned at a broader level. “I was ready to take on a larger role,” she said, adding that she wanted to see how decisions were made across subteams, how different parts of the team worked together, and whether there were better ways to improve inter-team communication and collaboration.

Reflecting on 1072’s environment, she pointed to the friendliness and passion that define our team’s culture. Because membership is voluntary, she noted, everybody participates out of genuine interest in robotics, which reduces pressure and creates a community built on shared enthusiasm. “Everyone in leadership is basically your friend. It's really nice,” she says, referring to how accessible  leadership feels and how it helps the team overate as a cohesive, collaborative group rather than a strictly hierarchical structure. She also emphasized the importance of diversity—across grades, perspectives, and gender—in shaping this environment: “We try to have leadership across grade levels...it's a lot of different perspectives. Even newer members get to share their opinions.” 

​Ultimately, Brenna’s journey and insights attest to the importance of diversity in both culture and leadership. The range of viewpoints on our team contribute to thoughtful decision-making and fosters an inclusive environment: one that grows with each additional member and becomes a space where everyone feels comfortable sharing their opinions, thoughts, and ideas. It is this supportive environment and sense of community that continue to shape 1072’s identity as a team.

Since 2021, Team 1072 has been organizing “Wonderbots”, a program to empower girls in STEM. The 7-week course, open to all middle school girls in the Bay Area, covers a variety of programming topics students are able to put into practice through SpikePrime robots. After the program ends, they take the skills they learn and the passions they discover and apply them to future projects - the curriculum is meant to pave the way for real-world application. Wonderbots opens the gates of STEM and robotics and serves as a space for girls to exercise their creativity to follow their own direction.