The sweet smell of lemonade and bright sight of popsicles brought a cool respite to the sweltering heat that overwhelmed Greenough St. after school on Wednesday, June 11, as the Women in STEM Club hosted a lemonade sale with the goal of raising money for the Malala Fund.
The Malala Fund is an organization dedicated to help young girls in underserved communities learn more about STEM fields. This organization, according to junior and co-president Avery Sutton-Rath, aligns perfectly with the club’s mission.
“We aim to empower young women in the STEM field,” Sutton-Rath said. “Because women are often underrepresented, especially in math, science, technology, we think that by teaching girls about STEM it will empower them to find careers in this field and then hopefully create a more inclusive environment in the future.”
The club engages in a variety of activities other than bake sales, from science fairs to guest speakers. Sutton-Rath said the club took on a medical focus this year, and brought in many professionals from that field.
“We’ve also contributed to science fairs at local middle schools, and we help teach underclassmen STEM activities,” Sutton-Rath said. “We’ve also had a lot of guest speakers from the neuroscience field, a lot of professionals.”
Sophomore and club member Nora Mullen said that another aspect of the bake sale was to attract new members to the club. She said that she recommends others join because of the club’s welcoming environment.
“It’s a really fun community, and it’s not a huge commitment, but it’s also just nice to have people there,” Mullen said. “We can work on homework and help each other too, and it’s just fun.”
Junior and club member Lyra Cheeseman echoed Mullen’s comments and said anyone with an interest in STEM should definitely join.
“It’s fun, especially if you’re interested in STEM and science or engineering things,” Cheeseman said. “We definitely do a bunch of those activities, and you get to experience a lot of different fun things.”
Cheeseman also said one of the club’s beliefs is that it’s imperative for anyone to be able to pursue their passions and have equal opportunities.
“I think it’s important for everyone to get access to education,” Cheeseman said. “Especially young girls who are interested in STEM and don’t have as much access to it, it is important for them to be able to pursue those interests.”
