Ten years of STEMgirls means ten years of alumnae quietly building the future of healthcare, research, education, and engineering. This week, we want you to meet three of them — and notice the pattern.
Hania Syed — Sophomore. Inventor. Reporter.
Three years at STEMgirls didn’t just keep Hania curious — they handed her the tools to invent. Her anti-fog spray took 1st place at the Chicago Invention Convention and qualified her for nationals twice. She’s now taking Honors Chemistry, AP Physics, and AP Pre-Calc — and freelancing as a STEM reporter on the side.
“Be curious and always ask questions because you will always learn something new.”
Kirah Romero — Future Neurosurgeon.
Kirah is a junior at Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart who leads her school’s robotics coding team, runs an annual summer program for under-resourced kids ages 6–13, and conducts research through Argonne National Laboratory’s Exemplary Student Research Program. This summer, she heads to Oxford University for a prestigious medical program.
“Take time to figure out what you’re really passionate about and then pursue it.”
Annie Serdar — Future Pediatric Hospitalist.
Annie’s path started with banana DNA at STEMgirls. It’s continued with a biomedical sciences degree at Marquette, a Northwestern Medicine internship, and the presidency of A Moment of Magic — where she broke the national volunteer visit record. Next stop: med school at The Ohio State University.
These three aren’t outliers. They’re the result of a curriculum, a community, and a confidence-building formula that’s been refined for a decade. And we’re bringing it to Chicago for the first time on July 6.