Lean on your support system.
Hey there TechDiva!
My name is Raegon. I commend you for taking this journey into STEM. I loved math. I was good at it. so good that I would charge $5 for math assignments in high school. I received a full scholarship to Georgia Tech in 1994. I was ready to begin my journey as a Computer Science Engineering student. Earlier that year before I graduated some things happened within my family and I passed on my scholarship to stay home and help my mom and younger siblings. But that didn't stop my dream. The local university offered a 2yr pre-engineering program. So I decided to enroll in it. My freshman year I completed college algebra, trigonometry, and during the summer I took calculus. During my sophomore year, the engineering courses began. Drafting and design were my Achilles heel. I was not good at drawing or design and when I asked for help from my professor, I was told that I would either get it or I would not. He was of no help to me. Being the only female in the class, I asked the guys if they wouldn't mind helping me get a better understanding so I would not fail the class. That didn't work, because no one was willing to help. Because I was struggling, when we had partner assignments, no one wanted to be my partner. This was discouraging. All I wanted to do was computer science, not the other aspects of engineering. What I was not aware of was that the basis of the pre-engineering program was tailored more towards structural engineering. I began second guessing my passion. Maybe engineering was not my path. Maybe I am not cut out for this. I am a very optimistic person, yet in that environment I was not optimistic at all. I lost my optimism as well as a sense of self. The failure of that class and another structural engineering course, gave me every excuse to quit. And that is what I did. I did not feel supported, or encouraged, and gave up. I share this to say, when you find yourself feeling left out, not fitting in, or not getting the support you need. Reach inside yourself and tap into that hidden strength that will allow you to push through. Now that more and more females are getting into STEM, it is becoming a movement. There is encouragement out there. You will not be the only female in the room. Lean on your support system and hold on to your tribe.