![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
Women in STEM Club hosted a virtual TechGirlz AI workshop about AI algorithms and applications on Feb. 2 from 4-6 p.m. and on Feb. 23 from 3:30-5:30 p.m.
WiSTEM members led the event, and 26 girls in fifth to eighth grade from around the world attended the workshop. The workshop began with volunteers Anika Basu (9), Isabelle Niu (9), Keira Chang (10), Danika Gupta (10), Mendy Mao (10), Tanvi Sivakumar (10), Celina Xu (10), Linda Zeng (10), Kaitlyn Su (11), Sophia Zhu (11) and Julie Shi (12) introducing themselves and naming their favorite STEM subject. While one person went over each slide, other volunteers answered attendees’ questions in the Zoom chat. The volunteers used simple explanations and interactive examples to explain AI. They covered the definition of machine learning, the real-life application of AI and how it translates to code.
WiSTEM member Anika Basu (9), who went over machine learning in Python with attendees, enjoyed interacting with the kids and seeing their growing interest in AI.
“I was really pleasantly surprised about how enthusiastic the kids were,” Anika said. “They were so energetic and lively, and their genuine excitement with the activities made the whole experience really fun.”
WiSTEM members prepared extensively for the workshop. Volunteers chose the slides they would cover during a WiSTEM meeting on Dec. 13 and participated in a volunteer orientation with a TechGirlz coordinator during long lunch on Jan. 9. The volunteers also met on Jan. 16 and Feb. 2 to rehearse their slides together after school, with WiSTEM officers offering advice on how to improve the lesson. Outreach coordinator Linda Zeng (10) was in charge of planning the event and ensuring the workshop ran smoothly.
“It was really gratifying and relieving at the end when [the girls] told us that it was a really great experience,” Linda said. “It was super fun, because we were working so hard for [the workshop] to happen. Everyone put in so much work, and I’m so proud of what we did together.”
Club adviser Anita Chetty praised the volunteers’ dedication during a speech she made to the WiSTEM volunteers, and she sent upper school administration Jennifer Gargano, Paul Barsky and Brian Yager an email to recognize WiSTEM members’ work. She also called for the volunteers to consider presenting the workshop at the Harker Research Symposium.
“It was a really great workshop and I’m so proud of all our hard work,” Chetty said in her speech. “You reached students all across this country and you have no idea, you’ll never know the impact you had. But know for sure: you had an impact. You are changing the world.”
WiSTEM hosted four workshops in collaboration with TechGirlz this year, two focused on the basics of Scratch and two on AI. WiSTEM’s annual partnership with TechGirlz represents one aspect of the club’s efforts to foster STEM inclusivity at Harker and beyond.
