Girl Scouts Plan To Fill STEM Career Gap in New Jersey

Cherry Hill, New Jersey (May 4, 2023) - Are you aware that despite women representing approximately half of the workforce, less than one-third of STEM-related jobs are held by women? The under-representation of women in STEM fields is a growing concern, the Girl Scouts of Central and Southern New Jersey are working to bridge this gap. Thanks to a recent grant from the NJ STEM Pathways program, Girl Scouts from the Cherry Hill/Haddonfield/Merchantville Service Unit were able to participate in a STEM Career Exploration event. The event saw 37 Girl Scouts in grades 6 – 12, from different troops come together to earn a STEM Career Exploration badge. Through programs like this, Girl Scouts can be inspired to pursue career paths and break down boundaries in traditionally male-dominated fields. 

Participating Girl Scouts came from five different troops and Juliettes in the Cherry Hill, Haddonfield, and Merchantville area.  They kicked off the program by designing their own illuminated name tags using copper tape, mini-LED lights, and batteries.  Afterward, they broke off into smaller groups to partake in Roundtable Discussions with six inspiring women excelling in STEM careers (listed below).  Through these roundtable discussions, these Girl Scouts got an inside look into the world of STEM, including their educational journey, career path, the day-to-day experiences, and what inspired them to pursue this career. 

Women Professionals in STEM Contributors: 

• Dr. Barbara Roehl, Physician, Inspira Health Network and Roehl Consulting LLC 
• Wendy Beres, Quality Control Training Specialist, Iovance Biotherapeutics  
• Ann Gallagher, PharmD , Clinical Staff Pharmacist, Jefferson Health System - Cherry Hill 
• Dr. Mindy Subbiah DNP, FNP-BC, Nurse Practitioner, University of Pennsylvania 
• Christina Bowen, Vertical Lift Engineering, Integration and Strategy, The Boeing Company 
• Mairead McKendry Sauter, Senior Data Strategist, Slalom Consulting - Data and Analytics 

• “This STEM event told me a lot about different STEM-related career opportunities from the perspective of women. I think this will help me figure out fields I might want to pursue.” Allie R., 9th grader, Troop 30062 
• “Going to STEM night gave me insights into jobs that I didn't know much about and helped confirm that we can pursue our goals no matter who we are.” Lia K., 8th grader, Troop 30503 
• “I learned about a lot of new careers that I was unaware of, and those that I did already know, I learned more about. At an age where I have to begin looking at career options, this event inspired me to look down the STEM career pathway as well. All of the women were very intelligent and strong even though they were in a predominantly male field.” Katie S., 10th grader, Troop 30351 
   
  Photos from Courtesy: Girl Scouts of Central and Southern New Jersey 
  
  GSCSNJ_STEM_Career_Exploration_01:  **ALL GIRL SCOUTS ATTENDING THE EVENT HAVE SIGNED MEDIA PERMISSION ON FILE WITH THEIR TROOP LEADERS.  Girl Scouts from the Cherry Hill-Haddonfield-Merchantville Service Unit with the panelists from the Women in STEM Event, and their Service Unit Managers (standing, back line). 
  
   
  GSCSNJ_STEM_Career_Professionals : from left: Christina Bowen, Mindy Subbiah, Barbara Roehl, Wendy Beres, Ann Gallagher, Mairead McKendry Sauter.