Photograph by Cristina McCarthy
There are many different clubs at Berkeley High School (BHS), ranging from the Chess Club to the Tea Club. There are even multiple science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) specific clubs, such as the Robotics team and the coding club. However, there is one club that stands out when it comes to encouraging female students to pursue and discover STEM related fields. The STEMinist Club is dedicated to creating a safe and encouraging environment for people who are curious about STEM and/or gender inequality issues to spread awareness and solutions to the underrepresentation of women in STEM fields. They also aim to form a supportive community at BHS in which students, especially girls, explore and pursue STEM careers.
As Maytal Bach, a senior in AC and one of the co-presidents, said, “While there are many great STEM clubs within Berkeley High, [they] seldom mention or teach about the difficulties a woman (specifically one who is not driven by one particular interest) in STEM paths. At the same time, STEMinism values the education and representation in all fields in STEM.” [disclaimer: Bach is an illustrator for the Jacket]
You might wonder, “What’s the difference between Girls Who Code (GWC) and the STEMinist club?” since both clubs empower women in the STEM field. Samantha Hilton, the other co-president of the STEMinist club, said, “In general I think our club has a broader focus and rather than learning to code, it’s more about discovering and learning about all the different possibilities [in the STEM field].” The STEMinist Club focuses on exposing women to other STEM related careers, rather than GWC, which only shows them about computer science, which can help them when it comes to choosing a major and career that they want to pursue later in their life.
Students in the STEMinist Club don’t only learn about which careers they want to go into, but learn useful skills such as networking. Sarah Blankespoor (Junior in BIHS), a member of the STEMinists Club said, “I have learned how to better network and take the initiative to find science related opportunities around me.”
Hilton said, “October was our club’s biology month, so we had four guest speakers who all took biology in different directions, and we also went on a field trip to a bioscience lab at Berkeley labs and got a tour from a biochemist. November will be our engineering month. We accept suggestions for month themes that people are interested in. Each month we try to have at least one guest speaker, and a field trip or hands-on club project that fits with the theme.”
If you’re interested in learning more, join their email list by emailing [email protected]. The club is open to all students who are eager to join and explore the various aspects of STEMinism. Meetings are in G-209 on Wednesdays at lunch, so don’t be afraid to join in and become a STEMinist!