I have always worked. From my very first job of making corsages for a florist friend of my parents to lifeguarding and teaching swim lessons as a teenager; from being a bank teller in high school and college to my first “career job” in aerospace after I graduated. I have never not worked.

Until one day, 20+ years into my career, I found myself unemployed. To say that I was lost is a monumental understatement. I was a train wreck.

What I did for a living had become who I was.

NOT SO FAST!

Following Your Passion is the ONLY Way to Close the Gender Gap in STEM/STEAM!

Over the past couple of weeks much attention has been paid to a recently-published paper containing data that seems to show that encouraging our young people to follow their passions rather than encouraging them to follow the money is creating a gender disparity in STEM/STEAM education and careers.

This lit me up!

As an extremely passionate advocate for increasing the number of girls and women in STEM/STEAM education and careers, this goes against everything that I believe and in fact against my primary message that I pass on to anyone who will listen.

If we want to include more girls in STEM/STEAM then we need to stop asking them if they are good at math. Instead we need to ask them about their passions and then teach them how the practical application of science, technology, engineering math and, yes, even the arts, can help them solve the problems that they are interested in.

“Attracting, retaining, and advancing women in aviation is critical to the U.S. aviation industry’s safety, sustainability, profitability, and ability to innovate.” – Breaking Barriers for Women in Aviation

I just read a couple of statistics that shook me to my core and that I can’t stop thinking about.

According to a 2018 survey of Women in Aviation International members, 71% have experienced sexual harassment and of those who reported the harassment, 51% experienced retaliation.