Today, Maria talks with Susanne Cappendijk, Founder and President of EDsnaps, a non-profit organization that wants to increase diversity in the Science Technology Engineering and Math workforce. Through partnerships and collaborations with academia, corporations, non-profit organizations and individual volunteers, they are providing free after-school and summer programs to female-identifying students through hands-on experiences and real-life interactions.

Susanne is a strategic, creative and visionary entrepreneurial professional with a unique blend of scientific research skills gained in academia, complemented by business consulting experience with companies ranging from early-stage startups to Fortune 100 corporations.

They discuss how EDsnaps addresses STEM talent gaps in a creative, positive and collaborative environment that enables female-identifying students to build 21-century skills and get ready for the next phase of their careers as well-rounded and well-grounded STEM leaders.

They also unpack how Susanne bootstrapped her idea in 2017, starting with a pilot summer program and how, amid the pandemic, they moved their programs entirely online. She also talks about the new summer 2020 intern and fellow program that offered paid internships for undergraduate and graduate students whose internships were cancelled.

Tune in to learn from a creative and business-savvy social entrepreneur who knows how to turn constraints upside down and solve real-life problems in education.