Lara Elbedour

Women in STEM promotional poster

Hayfield’s new Women in STEM club made its first appearance on February 4. The founder of the club, Leyou Bezabeh, and co-founder Mikayla Mann created the club with the aim to empower women interested in STEM. But what does this new club have to offer- and what does it stand for?

“I have noticed there was a very big difference between the amount of men and the amount of women in my STEM based classes,” Bezabeh said.

Noticing this difference inspired and encouraged Bezabeh to create Women in STEM to address the gender imbalance in STEM classes, aiming to support women pursuing STEM goals by fostering a sense of community and accessibility.

The audience for the club for students who may be hesitant to join is, “all types of women, all those who want to accomplish and have STEM based goals,” Bezabeh, said.

Although the club may be new at Hayfield, Women in STEM is an international organization working with high schools globally to inspire and empower young women to pursue STEM. Currently, Women in STEM has three branches in Virginia and is continually expanding their numbers.

The activities that can be expected include things like, “volunteering opportunities, having guest speakers around, and [resource] affairs where you can get some scholarship links,” Bezabeh said.

Through the activities offered, the club hopes to support all women with such aspirations and is continuously working to find more volunteer opportunities and resources to expand the club. However, since the club is fairly new, the founders asked for students’ feedback, suggestions, or input as to what they would like to see more of in the club as well as what kind of activities students would like to do.

“I definitely did notice there wasn’t a specific club for Women in STEM and I just wanted to specify women, because it’s important, representation is important,” Bezabeh said.

Despite the numerous clubs available at Hayfield, Women in STEM stands out and differs from other clubs as it was the first STEM related club to represent and empower young women specifically.

As for who will run the club, “there will definitely be a student board, so far we have five positions open, and we’re planning to create a form where students can tell us why they want to run for a specific position,” Bezabeh said.

The club positions will be decided by Bezabeh and Mann, the founders, after students submit their response for which position they want to run for and why they would be suited for the role.

“This club can be important to add to your resume because it’s something that’s very rigorous, in my opinion, it’s a club that can make you feel like you’re part of a community” said Bezabeh

In all, joining the Women in STEM club is a great opportunity for students interested in or thinking about going into a STEM related major, as the club offers a supportive and welcoming environment, helping students achieve their goals.