One of the newest clubs at Bishop Gorman is the Women in Science Technology Engineering and Math (WiSTEM) club. Founded by Payton Umphress ‘26, Sophia Lagomarsino ‘26, and Veronica “Vivi” Boateng ‘26, this club’s goal is to support young women interested in STEM subjects or pursuing a career in a STEM field.
This club is important in bringing to light the opportunities that women have in STEM fields. As member Ellie Chow ‘26 explained, “the STEM field has been widely misrepresented with men mainly being the face of many STEM fields. Women having representation in STEM not only correctly represents women in STEM fields today, but it also has the effect of empowering and inspiring girls to take part in a field that is not publicized as often.”
With the lack of representation and misrepresentation of women in STEM, Boateng recognizes the importance of uplifting fellow women. “We hope to promote a supportive space for girls at Gorman to become inspired and confident in pursuing their passions in STEM.”
Before the end of last school year, Umphress proposed starting a chapter of WiSTEM at Bishop Gorman to Lagomarsino and Boateng to get this idea going. “I saw that there was a lack of STEM focused clubs at our school, and I thought that founding a STEM community with girls at the center would create unity and fun,” she explained.
This being their inaugural year, the girls have already come up with many goals for the future of the club. As Lagomarsino explained, “one [goal] that I am focusing on is creating a network of students who want to support and encourage each other in the STEM field.”
Umphress shared a similar goal. “We really want to get as many girls at Gorman exposed to as many different careers as possible.” She feels that the lack of female representation in STEM comes from the lack of knowledge of the numerous career opportunities available to women in STEM fields.
This club not only plans to serve the women of the Bishop Gorman community, but also wants to get involved in community outreach. As Lagomarsino explained, “I hope that with our school’s focus on service, we can help underprivileged girls around our city gain more exposure to all STEM has to offer.”
The club also plans to provide opportunities for Bishop Gorman students through workshops, hosting guest speakers, service projects, and showcases. As Boateng described, “through these activities, we strived to create an engaging and exciting community at Bishop Gorman that highlights the numerous achievements that women have accomplished within STEM fields.”
WiSTEM is also a great opportunity for young women to get exposure to females in these fields. As Danica Serra ‘26, a member of the WiSTEM club, explained, “It is very important for me to see women who have a career in STEM because…it’s very inspiring; especially in a male dominated field.”
For the future, Boateng shared one of the club’s goals for the coming years. “We aim to create lasting connections and a strong support network, motivating girls at Bishop Gorman to pursue their interests and cultivating a lasting passion in STEM that goes beyond high school.”
WiSTEM will continue to empower women and help them work towards their goals in STEM fields. As Serra said, “it gives me people to look up to and allows me to be excited for the future I’m working towards.”
WiSTEM’s first meeting was on September 18. Students were invited to a presentation given by three female FBI agents. They showed a video that talked about what FBI agents do at a crime scene and how they try to solve a crime. They also let students have a hands-on learning experience, bringing in materials that students got to look at, use, and even wear. Chow explained, “WiSTEM’s guest speakers bring excitement to various different careers within the STEM field.”
For more information on WiSTEM, students can check out their Instagram account @wistembghs, visit https://womeninstem.org/, or reach out to any of the ladies who run the club.
Payton- [email protected]
Sophia- [email protected]
Vivi- [email protected]
