Girl Day at UT with Kelly Mullins

This year was the 16th Annual Women in Engineering Program's "Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day and STEM Festival." The day consisted of 7,000 K-8th grade students participating in nearly 150 hands-on STEM activities and presentations led by student organizations and corporate sponsors. Girl Day is an international annual event held each year during Engineers Week that celebrates women in engineering and encourages women to overcome adversity and pursue interests in STEM fields.

I currently work for the Women in Engineering Program as an office assistant and help with all of the work that goes into making Girl Day happen, like making hundreds on hundreds of hands-on activity kits and inputting data from thousands of surveys collected at the event.

This year's Girl Day was really special for me because it was also held during AXiD's Moms' Weekend, and my mom got to volunteer with me the whole day. To me, my mom exemplifies the values that Girl Day and the Women in Engineering Program aim to instill in young women. I have always admired my mother's strength, selflessness, and grit. I aspire to be more like my mom, and I want to share this attitude of resilience and determination with young women pursuing STEM. I am glad we were able to share this experience and contribute to a program that allows girls to realize their potential and achieve the goals they set for themselves.

Just as Alpha Xi allowed me to find my home and support group at UT, the Women in Engineering Program has helped me find my place in the Engineering school, and I hope I can set a positive example for young women interested in pursuing STEM careers.

TFJ,