The state has created a website to provide information about opportunities and resources available to girls and women interested in the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics at: portal.ct.gov/steam
The website provides information on programs such as internships and camps for students interested in STEAM fields, as well as resources for parents and educators to promote and encourage exploration into STEAM fields.
Bysiewicz said fields such as engineering and information technology are well compensated, but are male-dominated spaces that are in need of female professionals.
"The way that we close the pay gap is we get young women and girls studying these fields because is it fair that men should make so much more?" Bysiewicz said.
Timothy D. Larson, executive director of the state Office of Higher Education, said the idea behind the STEAM Portal is to help girls engage in topics within those fields in an appealing and interactive way.
"This hub will direct you and pull you over to an area where you may want to find other opportunities," Larson said.
Amanda Cooper, a sixth-grade science teacher at Sunset Ridge, said the portal would be a great resource to help find extracurricular opportunities for students.
"For me, as an educator, I'm always trying to connect my students to their passion inside and outside of the classroom, but sometimes it's hard to find those outside pieces," Cooper said.
Bysiewicz asked girls in Cooper's class about their career interests, and their responses included neurology, engineering, psychotherapy, and politics.
Candace Freedenberg, founder and president of Untapped Potential Inc., said it is important to make opportunities for girls to figure out what they want to do.
"Even if you're told you're good in English, give math and science a chance, and maybe you'll find what you're good at," Freedenberg said.
Freedenberg added that an early interest in geometry during middle school ultimately led her to the field of optics and interning with Nobel Prize winner Donna Strickland at the University of Rochester.
Bysiewicz said an important piece of the puzzle is computer literacy, as virtually every career path requires tech proficiency.
"The better you are at it, the better you'll be at whatever career you have," Bysiewicz said.
Abby Jewett, a regional executive with AT&T, said the company is always looking to diversify its workforce, and her work at AT&T includes seeking out nonprofits, particularly those closing the digital divide for women and girls.
"You can't get anywhere these days unless you're connected to the internet," Jewett said.
Joseph covers East Hartford and South Windsor. He joined the JI in July 2021. Joseph graduated from the University of Connecticut and he is an avid guitarist and coffee enthusiast.
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