By Shaina Kaufman
WHMSPress
West Bloomfield Hills MS
1st Place
Division MS, News Writing
Personal Narrative
In the past several weeks, I have learned that no matter who you are, where you’re from, or what you like to do, you can be anything. Literally anything.
Now, you ask, why in the world am I telling you this? Because I am in a program at Wayne State University engineered to get girls into STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). This program, called GO:GIRL, which stands for Gaining Opportunities: Girls Investigate Real Life, is for girls in 7th grade only.
The program accepted 67 girls. Three girls applied from West Hills, and I am the only one that made it. There was a lot that went into the applications. I had to write a personal statement and I had to get recommendations from my teachers. Once I submitted my application, I waited for a month or so to see if I got in.
The 2017 program started on Jan. 28 and ends on April 1. This program started 16 years ago in 2001. Dr. Sally Roberts runs this program and several college students voluntarily mentor us.
We were split into teams of 11 or 12, and each team was assigned a branch of STEM. My team, the Imperfect Girls, was assigned to the branch Life Sciences.
Our teams were assigned three subgroups of our branch: Microbiology, Human Biology, and Genetics. We were split up even more into these three groups. My group, a group of four, chose the topic of genetics.
Why were we split up into these subgroups? Because we are creating an app.
My group had to research the history of genetics, the careers of genetics, and the education necessary to have these careers.
But we do way more than just research. This program goes from 9:30 A.M. to 2:30 P.M., which means we have lunch. Our lunch is 45 minutes of eating everything in sight, socializing and gorging on ice cream from the soft-serve machine. We also participate in team-building activities and fun games, and during our free time, we draw, write, and socialize.
On March 4, we ventured to a lab and did some pretty cool experiments. Other weeks, we were visited by panels of different types of scientists, including computer scientists, social scientists (psychologists), and engineers. They talked about their jobs and the challenges they face. Plus we asked them lots of questions. We learned a lot from them, especially that most people do not end with the job they first wanted.
On April 1, I will present my app to my parents and “graduate.” I’ll receive a certificate from my mentors, Amber, Ashura, Malaz and Tanjin.
But this program doesn’t end with graduation. After graduation, I will be able to participate in other GO-GIRL programs. Some of the programs they have offered in past years include touring the airport, staying in the dorms overnight, etc.
And after that, I could become a mentor, and I could even pursue a career in STEM. With the power of STEM, who knows what will happen?