Today I'm joined by Bia Hamed, the Program Director of Digital Divas at Eastern Michigan University, and Alan Gomez, the Executive Director of the Mr. October Foundation. Together, we talk about the recent collaboration between their two programs, their dedication to introducing young girls to the world of STEM, and how such an initiative can have a wide-reaching community impact.

Bia and Alan discuss why STEM afterschool and summer camp programs are so effective when it comes to young children and how they encourage children to embrace their inquisitive nature and take a hands-on approach to learning. They also talk about their commitment to introducing more young girls to the field, explaining how currently women make up a huge portion of the workforce and community yet continue to go unrepresented. To correct this problem, their programs are hoping to show girls the opportunities that are out there and introduce them to some basic tools that are key to succeeding in the STEM field.

Both Bia and Alan are excited for their collaboration, explaining that it's a program built for scale and growth. They encourage those in other communities who might be interested in recreating this program to take that initiative and reach out to them for advice on how to begin.

Be sure to listen in to learn more about the types of projects the Digital Divas and Mr. October Foundation are exploring with their participants and how they are inspiring those children who will one day be our future innovators.

What' You'll Learn in This Episode:

On today's episode, Bia Hamed from the Digital Divas series and Alan Gomez from the Mr. October Foundation sit down with me to talk about their recent collaboration and dedication to introducing young girls to the STEM world, an initiative they believe will create a significant community impact.

Links:

https://www.emich.edu/digitaldivas/

https://mroctober.org/