Nearly 100 young STEM enthusiasts gathered for the 2018-2019 SheSoft Championship and Conference at the Nysmith School for Gifted and the Dulles Hilton Hotel held June 8-9.
Geared toward girls in fifth through eight grades, the event sought to inspire and empower these students to pursue technology-focused education and careers in high school and beyond.
Event attendees heard from keynote speakers, project mentors and workshop presenters. The conference also included technology exhibitions from championship winners, hands-on activities, learning workshops and project mentorship from SheSoft ambassadors and women leaders in STEM.
SheSoft’s executive committee, which includes Kirthi Kumar of SheSoft, Louise Peabody of STEM for Her, Nanci Schimizzi of Fair Oaks Strategies, Rhonda Farrell of Booz Allen Hamilton, Kamaljeet Sanghera of George Mason University and Ria Galanos of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, provided advice and support for the conference.
In addition to the executive committee, SheSoft’s ambassadors and national outreach team supported the championship and conference.
Kumar, a junior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and a WashingtonExec 2018 STEM Rising Star Award winner, highlighted the importance of events like this.
“STEM Innovation and Technologist Championships and Conferences like this are critical to bring more girls into STEM in a young age, especially in technology, to bridge the gender gap,” she said. “I appreciate these young girls and their parents for taking their step forward in embracing STEM to create the future women leaders in technology.”
SheSoft is a nonprofit that seeks to promote building software applications in young girls to bridge the gender gap in technology.