Spotlight on Clubs and Committees: STEMinist Club

Through various activities and accomplished guest speakers, STEMinist members are able to discover just how expansive the STEM field truly is and the various career opportunities within the field of study. 

Arden Ganse ’22, one of four senior Clerks that leads the STEMinist Club, found it difficult to feel confident in various math and science classes as she entered Upper School. After hearing about the club entering her sophomore year, Arden states, “I thought it would be nice for me to have a community of people who share the same interests and struggles. Now, as a senior who has grown confident in math and science, I feel it is important to give other girls within the school the same resources and opportunities.” Arden, who aspires to become a coastal engineer, has certainly become confident in the STEM fields and has spent this year combining her interests of marine science and math. Recently, she completed her IB Extended Essay on the issue of coastal erosion in the Outer Banks of North Carolina where she examined the natural processes of barrier islands, and the mechanisms of coastal erosion. 

Currently, as part of her IB math class, Arden is modeling ocean wave energy using infinite series. Reflecting on her own experience here at WFS, Adren notes, “Having a club here at WFS that recognizes the need for women in STEM and encourages girls to simply be curious about STEM is critical because it can help someone who lacked confidence, like me, and inspire them to pursue a professional career in the field.” 

Caroline Hayter ’22, who joined the WFS community last year as a junior, said the reason for joining the club was simple for her: teacher Sarah Stock Patterson. Caroline states, “I’ve gotten to know Sarah as both a teacher and a person; she is an inspiration to all of us looking to pursue a STEM career.” She continues, “On the days that words failed me, I found comfort in the predictable patterns of math. In previous courses, math had revolved around the rote memorization of formulas; but Sarah’s instruction made math as much about the why as it is the how.”

This year, STEMinist club members have been able to learn from some pretty incredible women! They had the pleasure of welcoming and learning from Dr. Carolyn Levine, a professor and the Chair of University of Delaware’s  Accounting & Information Systems department. Most recently, they learned from Emily Wion, an accomplished professional in the STEM field who oversees the clinical trial research being conducted at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center’s Women's Health Initiative.

If you might be interested in joining this club and learning more about the STEM field, come check them out in Room 152!