In a new partnership with Girls Inc. of Orange County, Chapman University’s Fowler School of Engineering is helping girls prepare for careers in engineering and other STEM fields. Girls Inc. is a nonprofit dedicated to inspiring girls to be strong, smart and bold. The collaboration brought high school students to the Chapman campus to participate in the school’s annual Summer Engineering Academy.

During the sessions at Chapman, the girls were able to work on projects that included machine learning, coding, arduino programming, design and fabrication. For many, it was their first introduction to the skills they were learning. The opportunity to visit a college campus and start imagining themselves as college students was another added benefit, said Anna Gianina Reynolds, senior STEM coordinator at Girls Inc. of Orange County. In addition, the majority of the instructors—Chapman engineering students—were also women.

“As we know, women are still underrepresented in STEM fields, so to be able to see themselves in that space and see what their future could look like [was invaluable]. Having Chapman students and instructors there and able to share their expertise was fantastic,” she said. This partnership directly aligned with Girls Inc.’s vision to create parity for all girls in Orange County in education, career and society.

Reynolds, who sat in on some of the workshops, was especially encouraged to see how the girls helped each other by talking about problems and finding solutions when something wasn’t working. “It was really awesome to see their growth throughout the program,” she said, “and to see their confidence in their STEM identity and STEM engagement grow throughout the week.”

Chapman’s Summer Engineering classes are open to high schoolers in the community. Learn more at chapman.edu/sea. Girls Inc. of Orange County serves more than 10,000 girls a year across the county through innovative school-based and non-school based programming. Learn more at girlsinc-oc.org.