Page 26 - THE Journal, March/April 2018

KEYNOTE
Meredith Walker, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls BY JOSHUA BOLKAN
It’s time girls finally got the support they deserve, in STEM education and the world, according to Meredith Walker, cofounder and executive director of Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls. Walker,
who has served as a producer for Nick News, head of talent at Saturday Night Live and journalism envoy for the State Department Bureau of Culture and Education’s mission to the Al Za’atari and Emirates refugee camps, will be giving a keynote address at the CUE 2018 National Conference Thursday, March 15, at 9 a.m. Walker spoke
young women are discouraged early from seeking a profession in these fields. Obstacles are put up — misogynistic, socio-economic or cultural obstacles. There are other factors, too. They may not know enough about the subjects involved. Maybe no one they know works in these areas. Often, girls aren’t aware of the myriad ways that physics, engineering or technology shows up in our daily lives and makes things better.
We can all play a part in breaking down barriers by being role models and mentors. Girls need access to
may find something else that is equally needed. The more they see people who don’t let society define or limit them, the better the chances that they will discover an innate calling to decide for themselves who they want to be.
THE Journal: Do you think gender equity in STEM has improved since we began addressing it? If not, what are we doing wrong?
Walker: Building a robust future for STEM relies on engaging diverse groups of young people in STEM fields
Encouraging young women does not require that you be a STEM expert. To mentor is to help create the environment for them to discover things for themselves.
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with THE Journal about the power of encouraging girls to be themselves, not being afraid of failure and the #MeToo movement.
THE Journal: How would you characterize the state of gender equity in STEM education right now? What do you think needs to happen to improve it? Meredith Walker: Women and girls continue to be underrepresented
in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Too many
people they might emulate and see themselves becoming. “Mentoring” can sound very serious — but it can be as casual and simple as hanging out with, befriending, listening, letting her be
her goofy self in front of you — that is mentoring. Encouraging young women does not require that you be a STEM expert. To mentor is to help create the environment for them to discover things for themselves.
Some will then find their way and their voice in STEM vocations. Others
today. Where we can improve is with intersectionality. Students who live at the intersection of race, gender and ethnicity are disproportionately absent from STEM, yet they make up the fastest growing college-aged population in the United States.
THE Journal: Repeated, systematic and recorded failure is in a lot of ways at the heart of the scientific method and I keep thinking that your Fueled By Failure campaign seems so suited for STEM