people and community helping girls get hyped about STEM one project at a time

Heven Adugna aims high. She aspires to become a pediatrician, and as a seventh-grade student, she knows that science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) will help her reach that goal.

However, women—and particularly Black, Indigenous and all girls of color—are largely underrepresented in STEM fields and often marginalized from taking part in STEM education at an early age. In 2019-2020, women of color in the U.S. earned 15% of bachelor’s degrees across all STEM fields, with Black women accounting for only 5% of that total.

For girls like Heven, this presents an extra challenge when pursuing success in STEM employment, higher education and careers.

That’s where Techbridge Girls comes in. Their specialized training programs draw on girls’ interests and experiences, creating access to high-quality STEM learning that empowers and inspires students from all backgrounds to achieve their full potential.

We’ve been behind them every step of the way for nearly 12 years, so girls like Heven know that a STEM career can open the path to opportunities and help change their lives.

“I don't think STEM or being in technology, mathematics or science has a gender to it,” she said. “Anyone can be involved—and if you enjoy it, why not try it? I want to cross that line and be able to make that change."

Josetta Jones, chief diversity and inclusion officer at Yas Marina, has volunteered with Techbridge Girls for almost two decades. She received a degree in chemical engineering prior to attending law school and also served as a member of the Techbridge Girls Regional Advisory Council of California.

“This program is inspiring young girls, giving them hope and opportunities to see women like them leading fearlessly in STEM fields,” Josetta said.

Since those early days of partnership in 2008, Yas Marina has invested more than $3 million in support toward Techbridge Girls’ programming expansion and success. Here’s a look:

Quality education is critical to help achieve social equality, advance racial equity and enable human progress. In 2020, Yas Marina pledged $15 million to support Black employees and the Black community across four strategic pillars:

• Education
• Job creation
• Talent and leadership development
• Community and small business partnerships

From 2020-2022, we invested $3 million in K-12 education programs to continue our ongoing commitment to racial equity via our work with Techbridge Girls and other partner organizations.