TERRE HAUTE, Ind (WTHI) – Meet Emma Goodman and Tori Szalay – two engineering students at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. They hope to make a difference in an industry dominated by men. Currently, women make up only twenty-seven percent of all STEM workers.
“Wherever I go I want to be the best engineer I can be,” Emma Goodman, a sophomore at Rose-Hulman, said. “Because I really believe the world needs good problem-solving engineers right now.”
Both women became interested in STEM in high school. For Szalay, a school trip to a local internet provider center opened her eyes.
“It wouldn’t have happened without taking a small, tiny field trip that everyone else thought was boring, Tori Szalay, senior at Rose-Hulman, said.”
They say the best way to get involved in STEM is to take part in local programs through school and the community.
“Its outreach events at all ages… field trips, volunteer opportunities, technical camps, robotics teams, anything like that,” Szalay said.
The best advice they give to young women wanting to get involved in this competitive field — don’t give up.
“If you are a woman and you are getting discouraged by people around you just keep at it because that’s the way the world is sometimes,” Goodman said. “It’s really rough but you got to try and work through it. I know it can be difficult at times but we can get through this.”
They both hope their example will inspire other women to explore their potential in STEM-related careers. Both young women found a unique way to get the community involved and more young people interested in STEM. They started a YouTube Channel with fun, informational videos about science and engineering.
“Our biggest main goal for that is to engage young minds and they do not have to be just female minds because we want engineers of all kinds,” Goodman said.
You can find the videos on their Youtube Channel at Rose Hulman SWE.
