Black Girls Do Engineer Podcast

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Our children are curious. They’re creative. They’re ready to explore. But do they have access to the STEM experiences that allow that curiosity to grow?

In this episode of the Black Girls Do Engineer Podcast Back-to-School Series, Kara Branch sits down with longtime educator Deirdre Ricketts for a transparent conversation about what STEM education looks like from inside the classroom.

They discuss the importance of hands-on STEM learning, what teachers are seeing in students today, barriers to access and opportunity, and why educators need the right resources, training, technology, and community support to prepare students for a rapidly changing future.

Deirdre also shares why she believes “The World is Your Laboratory!” and what happens when children are given opportunities to build, experiment, question, create, and see themselves belonging in STEM.

This conversation is also a reminder that teachers cannot—and should not—have to build a child’s entire STEM ecosystem alone. Parents, schools, nonprofits, industry, and communities all have a role to play.

Because our kids don't have a curiosity problem.

The question is: do they have the access?

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Black Girls Do Engineer: The Podcast.

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a parent, educator, mentor, or young person who needs to hear it.

🎧 Subscribe, rate, and review—it helps our stories reach more families and future innovators.

 📲 Follow us on social @BlackGirlsDoEngineer for behind-the-scenes moments, upcoming events, and community highlights.

 💖 Support the mission: Your donation helps us create access, confidence, and opportunity in STEM for girls nationwide. Donate at https://bit.ly/Donate2BGDE

Because this was never just a program—it’s a promise.

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Good grades matter—but is your child truly prepared for what comes next?

In this Parent Perspective episode of the Black Girls Do Engineer Podcast, Kara Branch continues the conversation from “An Administrator’s Perspective: What Kids Really Need to Know” and brings it back to the parents.

Kara explores three important questions: Are we preparing our children beyond the report card? Do we actually know our child’s teachers, counselors, principals, and administrative team—and do they know our child? And are we building a village around our children instead of expecting the school to be the entire village?

From self-advocacy and critical thinking to building relationships with school leaders and finding opportunities beyond the classroom, this episode challenges parents to take an active role in preparing their children for college, careers, and adulthood.

Because our goal isn’t simply to raise children who can pass the next test.

We’re raising future adults—and parents, we have homework too.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Black Girls Do Engineer: The Podcast.

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a parent, educator, mentor, or young person who needs to hear it.

🎧 Subscribe, rate, and review—it helps our stories reach more families and future innovators.

 📲 Follow us on social @BlackGirlsDoEngineer for behind-the-scenes moments, upcoming events, and community highlights.

 💖 Support the mission: Your donation helps us create access, confidence, and opportunity in STEM for girls nationwide. Donate at https://bit.ly/Donate2BGDE

Because this was never just a program—it’s a promise.

Send us Fan Mail

What do our children really need to know to be prepared for life beyond the classroom?

In this episode of the Black Girls Do Engineer Podcast Back-to-School Series, Kara Branch sits down with educator and administrator Dr. Sharon for a transparent conversation about what she has learned from seeing education from the administrator’s chair.

They discuss the realities facing students, teachers, and families today; the difference between passing and truly being prepared; and why skills like critical thinking, communication, problem-solving, adaptability, self-advocacy, and technology literacy matter just as much as what appears on a report card.

Sharon also shares her perspective on parent-teacher partnerships, staffing and resource challenges, STEM and career exposure, supporting educators, and the role community organizations and industry can play in helping schools create more opportunities for students.

Most importantly, this conversation is not about placing blame on teachers, parents, or schools. It’s about recognizing that education is a partnership.

Teachers are part of the village. Administrators are part of the village. Parents are part of the village. And community organizations, mentors, universities, and industry all have a role to play.

Because our goal shouldn’t simply be getting our children through the next grade.

We have to prepare them for the world they’re walking into.

🎧 Listen to “An Administrator’s Perspective: What Kids Really Need to Know” anywhere you get your podcasts or on the Black Girls Do Engineer Podcast.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Black Girls Do Engineer: The Podcast.

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a parent, educator, mentor, or young person who needs to hear it.

🎧 Subscribe, rate, and review—it helps our stories reach more families and future innovators.

 📲 Follow us on social @BlackGirlsDoEngineer for behind-the-scenes moments, upcoming events, and community highlights.

 💖 Support the mission: Your donation helps us create access, confidence, and opportunity in STEM for girls nationwide. Donate at https://bit.ly/Donate2BGDE

Because this was never just a program—it’s a promise.

Send us Fan Mail

When should parents start preparing their children for STEM opportunities and careers? Earlier than many of us think.

In this Parent Perspective episode of the Black Girls Do Engineer Podcast, Kara Branch responds to the conversation from “The STEM Gap Starts Early: What We’re Missing in K–8” and breaks down what early STEM exposure means from a parent’s point of view.

Kara challenges parents to stop waiting for children to say they’re interested in engineering, coding, robotics, AI, cybersecurity, or other STEM fields before introducing them to those experiences. Sometimes exposure has to come before interest.

She also discusses why parents should understand what STEM opportunities their child’s school actually provides, how to find outside resources when opportunities aren’t available at school, and why using technology isn’t the same as understanding or creating with technology.

Most importantly, parents don’t have to be engineers, scientists, or technology experts to raise STEM-ready children. You don’t have to be the expert—you can be the connector.

This episode ends with Kara’s Parent Homework: identify one STEM exposure gap in your child’s experience and find one opportunity to help fill it.

Because we’re not asking our children to choose their entire careers in elementary or middle school. We’re giving them enough exposure to discover what’s possible.

Parents, STEM can’t wait until high school—and we have homework too.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Black Girls Do Engineer: The Podcast.

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a parent, educator, mentor, or young person who needs to hear it.

🎧 Subscribe, rate, and review—it helps our stories reach more families and future innovators.

 📲 Follow us on social @BlackGirlsDoEngineer for behind-the-scenes moments, upcoming events, and community highlights.

 💖 Support the mission: Your donation helps us create access, confidence, and opportunity in STEM for girls nationwide. Donate at https://bit.ly/Donate2BGDE

Because this was never just a program—it’s a promise.

Send us Fan Mail

If we wait until high school to introduce our children to STEM careers, we've already missed some of the most important years for building curiosity, confidence, and a sense of belonging in STEM.

In this episode of the Black Girls Do Engineer Podcast's Back-to-School Series, Kara Branch sits down with Shane Woods, Executive Director of Girlstart and longtime STEM education leader, for a transparent conversation about what's happening in K–8 STEM education right now—and why early access matters.

Shane brings years of experience from the classroom, school district leadership, and the broader STEM education ecosystem to discuss what she's seeing firsthand: where progress is happening, where gaps remain, and what parents, educators, community organizations, industry, and funders need to understand about preparing children for the future.

Together, Kara and Shane explore what STEM equity actually looks like in practice and why access to science class alone isn't enough. They discuss the importance of hands-on engineering, coding, technology, problem-solving, mentorship, career exposure, and opportunities that allow children to see themselves as STEM thinkers and creators.

They also tackle an important question:

Are we sometimes trying to fix in high school what we should have addressed in elementary school?

This conversation isn't about placing more responsibility on teachers. It's about recognizing that teachers cannot—and should not—have to be a child's entire STEM ecosystem. Families, schools, nonprofits, universities, corporations, and communities all have a role in creating meaningful STEM pathways for young people.

For parents, educators, STEM professionals, and anyone investing in the next generation, this episode challenges us to stop waiting for children to find STEM and start intentionally bringing STEM opportunities to them earlier.

Because the brilliance is already there.

Our responsibility is to make sure every child has the opportunity to discover it.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Black Girls Do Engineer: The Podcast.

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a parent, educator, mentor, or young person who needs to hear it.

🎧 Subscribe, rate, and review—it helps our stories reach more families and future innovators.

 📲 Follow us on social @BlackGirlsDoEngineer for behind-the-scenes moments, upcoming events, and community highlights.

 💖 Support the mission: Your donation helps us create access, confidence, and opportunity in STEM for girls nationwide. Donate at https://bit.ly/Donate2BGDE

Because this was never just a program—it’s a promise.

Send us Fan Mail

Season 2 of the Black Girls Do Engineer Podcast is officially here, and we’re kicking off our Back-to-School Series with a conversation every parent needs to hear.

Our teachers are working hard—but they cannot and should not have to carry the entire responsibility of preparing our children for the future.

In this episode, Kara Branch gets transparent about what families are walking into this school year. Teacher shortages, limited school resources, competing budget priorities, and a rapidly changing workforce can all impact the opportunities available to students—especially when it comes to advanced STEM exposure like engineering, robotics, coding, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and other emerging technologies.

But this isn't about blaming teachers or schools.

It's about partnership.

Teachers are part of our children's village, but they shouldn't have to be the entire village.

Kara breaks down why parents must stay connected to what their children are learning, understand where they are academically, communicate with teachers before problems arise, reinforce learning at home, and intentionally seek opportunities beyond the classroom when schools don't have the resources to provide them.

She also discusses why supporting educators matters, the need for STEM professional development for teachers, and how schools, families, community organizations, industry, and STEM professionals can work together to give students stronger pathways to the future.

Most importantly, this episode challenges parents to move beyond asking, “How was school today?” and start asking, “What did you learn—and what do you need?”

Because our children's education is too important to leave in the hands of any one person or institution.

The teacher has a role. The school has a role. The community has a role. And parents have a role.

When we all show up, our children have a better chance to thrive.

Welcome to Season 2. We're going back to school—and we're building the village our children need to succeed.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Black Girls Do Engineer: The Podcast.

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a parent, educator, mentor, or young person who needs to hear it.

🎧 Subscribe, rate, and review—it helps our stories reach more families and future innovators.

 📲 Follow us on social @BlackGirlsDoEngineer for behind-the-scenes moments, upcoming events, and community highlights.

 💖 Support the mission: Your donation helps us create access, confidence, and opportunity in STEM for girls nationwide. Donate at https://bit.ly/Donate2BGDE

Because this was never just a program—it’s a promise.

Send us Fan Mail

What happens when young women are given the opportunity to take flight?

In this special episode of the Black Girls Do Engineer Podcast, we hear directly from participants of the BGDE Drone Pilot Training as they reflect on their journey through hands-on aviation and drone technology.

From learning the fundamentals of drone operations and flight safety to building confidence behind the controls, these young women share what challenged them, what excited them, and how the experience changed the way they see themselves and their future careers.

Throughout the conversation, they discuss the importance of teamwork, problem-solving, and the technical skills they developed while exploring one of the fastest-growing industries in STEM. They also reflect on earning new knowledge, connecting with mentors, and discovering career opportunities in aviation, engineering, robotics, surveying, public safety, filmmaking, logistics, and emerging technologies.

This episode is a celebration of curiosity, confidence, and what's possible when girls are given access to experiences that prepare them for the future of work.

Whether you're a student, parent, educator, or STEM advocate, you'll leave inspired by the voices of the next generation of innovators who are proving that the sky is not the limit—it's just the beginning.

🎧 Tune in and hear how these future STEM leaders are taking flight—one mission, one lesson, and one drone at a time.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Black Girls Do Engineer: The Podcast.

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a parent, educator, mentor, or young person who needs to hear it.

🎧 Subscribe, rate, and review—it helps our stories reach more families and future innovators.

 📲 Follow us on social @BlackGirlsDoEngineer for behind-the-scenes moments, upcoming events, and community highlights.

 💖 Support the mission: Your donation helps us create access, confidence, and opportunity in STEM for girls nationwide. Donate at https://bit.ly/Donate2BGDE

Because this was never just a program—it’s a promise.

Send us Fan Mail

What happens when engineering becomes more than just a career—and turns into impact?

In this episode, Kara Branch sits down with Tai Prince, engineer, leader, and STEM advocate, to talk about how engineering skills can be used far beyond technical work to create real change in communities, organizations, and future generations.

Through this “Day in the Life” conversation, Tai shares how problem-solving, leadership, communication, and service all play a role in her journey as an engineer. From navigating engineering spaces as a Black woman to pouring back into the next generation through mentorship and advocacy, Tai reminds us that STEM is not just about what you build—it’s about who you impact.

This episode is a powerful reminder that engineering can open doors to leadership, influence, and purpose-driven work that extends far beyond the workplace.

🎧 Tune in for a real conversation about engineering, leadership, community impact, and using your skills to create change.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Black Girls Do Engineer: The Podcast.

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a parent, educator, mentor, or young person who needs to hear it.

🎧 Subscribe, rate, and review—it helps our stories reach more families and future innovators.

 📲 Follow us on social @BlackGirlsDoEngineer for behind-the-scenes moments, upcoming events, and community highlights.

 💖 Support the mission: Your donation helps us create access, confidence, and opportunity in STEM for girls nationwide. Donate at https://bit.ly/Donate2BGDE

Because this was never just a program—it’s a promise.

Send us Fan Mail

What better way to celebrate Black Girls Do Engineer Day and seven years of impact than by hearing directly from the girls who are living the mission?

In this special anniversary episode, the microphones are turned over to some of our youngest Future of Tech Summer Camp participants. Through their own voices, they share what Black Girls Do Engineer means to them, what they learned during camp, and how hands-on experiences in engineering and technology are changing the way they see themselves and their futures.

From building and creating to discovering new technologies and making new friends, these girls remind us that confidence begins with opportunity. Their excitement, honesty, and imagination reflect exactly why Black Girls Do Engineer was founded seven years ago—to create spaces where Black girls are encouraged to dream boldly, explore fearlessly, and see themselves as the engineers, innovators, and leaders of tomorrow.

As we celebrate this milestone, we're reminded that our greatest measure of success isn't just the programs we've created—it's the voices, confidence, and limitless potential of the girls we serve.

Thank you to every student, parent, volunteer, educator, corporate partner, donor, and supporter who has been part of this seven-year journey. Because of you, thousands of girls have discovered that they belong in STEM.

Today, we celebrate seven years of impact.

Tomorrow, we continue building the future—one girl at a time.

Happy Black Girls Do Engineer Day! 💛🖤

🎧 Listen now and experience Black Girls Do Engineer through their eyes.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Black Girls Do Engineer: The Podcast.

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a parent, educator, mentor, or young person who needs to hear it.

🎧 Subscribe, rate, and review—it helps our stories reach more families and future innovators.

 📲 Follow us on social @BlackGirlsDoEngineer for behind-the-scenes moments, upcoming events, and community highlights.

 💖 Support the mission: Your donation helps us create access, confidence, and opportunity in STEM for girls nationwide. Donate at https://bit.ly/Donate2BGDE

Because this was never just a program—it’s a promise.

Send us Fan Mail

What does it really mean to “see the whole picture” in STEM?

In this episode, Kara Branch sits down with Krystal Porter, Systems Engineer and technology leader, to break down what systems engineering actually looks like in the real world. From solving complex problems to connecting technology, strategy, and people, Krystal shares how systems engineers help organizations think bigger and operate smarter.

This conversation gives listeners a real “day in the life” look into systems engineering, including the technical and leadership skills required to succeed, how AI and emerging technologies are changing the workforce, and why critical thinking is essential in today’s STEM careers.

Krystal also shares her personal journey, lessons learned navigating technology spaces, and the importance of representation and visibility for women—especially Black women—in engineering and leadership roles.

If you’ve ever wondered how large systems, technologies, and teams all work together, this episode is for you.

🎧 Tune in for a powerful conversation about systems thinking, leadership, innovation, and seeing beyond just one piece of the puzzle.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Black Girls Do Engineer: The Podcast.

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a parent, educator, mentor, or young person who needs to hear it.

🎧 Subscribe, rate, and review—it helps our stories reach more families and future innovators.

 📲 Follow us on social @BlackGirlsDoEngineer for behind-the-scenes moments, upcoming events, and community highlights.

 💖 Support the mission: Your donation helps us create access, confidence, and opportunity in STEM for girls nationwide. Donate at https://bit.ly/Donate2BGDE

Because this was never just a program—it’s a promise.