Girls from school districts in three counties adjusted bicycle seats, tightened bolts and tested brakes.
The ongoing program at Valley View High School in Archbald provides hands-on experience for girls interested in science, technology, engineering and math fields. And the bikes built last week by girls and their engineering mentors from the community will go to younger girls in need.
Delaware Valley senior MacKenzie Donald wants to be a mechanical engineer. After her group finished building the bike, she sat on the seat and rolled across the carpet to make sure the bike was safe.
“There's so many opportunities to learn so many new things, from systems engineering to electrical engineering,” MacKenzie said. “They have every kind of engineer you could think of here. And it's just really exciting to learn from different mentors.”
Marisa Barilka, Valley View director of both elementary education and the district’s STEM Innovation Center, began the STEM Bridges Mentorship Program last year. This year, 30 high school students from Valley View, Delaware Valley, North Pocono and Wallenpaupack Area participate. Barilka hopes the program, which includes several sessions, helps build the students’ confidence as they approach graduation.
“It's still a male-dominated field, so I want them to be able to see that they have support out there, that it's something that they can accomplish,” Barilka said. “They're matched up with mentors that are in the field living this every single day, so that they can gain some confidence moving forward … they have that support system that exists for them.”
A growing number of women are working in STEM fields, but of people in the workforce, 29% of men work in STEM fields, compared to 18% of women, according to the National Science Foundation.
Lockheed Martin and the United Way of Lackawanna, Wayne and Pike counties support the program. The mentors, women who work at Lockheed Martin or Greenman-Pederson, provide advice and guidance.
Paige Geisler, a Delaware Valley senior, helped tighten the handlebars on the bike before the group moved onto designing decals for the helmet. Like her friend MacKenzie, she wants to be a mechanical engineer. She hopes programs like the one at Valley View encourage girls like her.
“I think it needs to be a topic discussed and brought out there for women,” Paige said. “If they can have this opportunity, I think it allows them to experience it and not shy away.”
