hEr VOLUTION’s 2021 Newsletter
hEr VOLUTION 2021 Newsletter by hEr VOLUTION
STEMing UP 2020 Program Analysis Report
“It is our mission to inspire young women to invest in and aspire for STEM careers, especially those from underserved areas who may not have access to all necessary resources”
- STEMing UP Program was developed in 2018 based on the needs identified by former program participants who were looking for programs that will strategically introduce them to career opportunities in STEM and business fields. In 2020 we served 30 young women in the program and pivoted to virtual learning due to COVID-19.
- Graduate students in this program gained major technological and business skills supporting them to successfully integrate in university courses such as Business and Technology at Ryerson University, Computer Science at Carleton University, University of Toronto and York University and acceptance in programs such as Shopify’s Dev Degree. Furthermore, students in this program gained employment and paid internships in distinguished institutions such as Shopify, BMO and RBC to name a few.
The Under-Representation of Black and Racialized Women in Canadian Academia
Given the need for people with a scientific background in the labour force, the underrepresentation of Black women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and computer sciences) fields has attracted attention recently. The shortage of Black women in STEM is detrimental to them, since STEM fields are generally among the highest paying and fastest growing. Specifically, academic workforce is not as diverse as either the student body or the labour force. Therefore, even though universities across Canada have committed to equity and diversity, the same level of commitment isn’t apparently in academic staff and employment and wage equity in academia. In this article, we will explore the rate of employment and earnings wages of racialized men and women, compared to their white counterparts.
Racialized individuals (defined as non-white individuals) in Canada are significantly underrepresented in the college and university sector, at less than 15% of all instructors. Furthermore, racialized university teachers constitute fewer than 15% of all university instructors, which is significantly lower than both that of racialized students (36%) and that of racialized doctoral degree holders (31%). Therefore, a large proportion of racialized university graduates cannot secure a job in our universities. At 10.7%, Black professors have the highest unemployment rate, compared to white professors and other racialized groups. Black university teachers, specifically, only comprise 2% of all university teachers, even though there has been a slight improvement in the representation of Black university teachers over the past decade (from 1.8% in 2006 to 2.0% in 2016) More
7 Women and Girls to celebrate this #IDWGS2020
Today the world celebrates the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. According to the UN there are less than 30% of women who are researchers in science today.
In order to change that, we believe that it is important to change the narrative and celebrate the role models and the trailblazers who have paved the way to the opportunities we see today, even if we aren’t where we derve to be, yet. To do this, we curated a few women who have contributed to making STEM inclusive and diverse at hEr VOLUTION.
- Anne Genges, CEO, Co-founder, Privacy & Security Consultant – Healthcare at Alexio Corporation
- Tia Joseph, Lead Analytics & AI Specialist at Salesforce | Global President of Salesforce Women’s Network
- Brittney Oberfeld – Senior Outreach Producer, Social Impact at Shopify
- Marki Sveen – UX Developer at Shopify
- Emily Sherret – Conservation Demand Management (CDM) Support Analyst at CLEAResult
- Rachel Lynds – Mechanical Engineering at Ontario Tech University
- Aislinn Shoveller – Product Manager and Co-Founder, Overture Donor Forum
These are just some of the women we chose to celebrate today not only because they go above and beyond at hEr VOLUTION also because they passionately give their time to ensure that girls are heard, seen and included in numerous opportunities leading to the future of work in STEM. Without these women, we could not make an impact and we pay tribute for their contribution.
How do you celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science?
Imposter Syndrome: What is holding you back?
Dr. Roopali Chaudhary is a scientist, entrepreneur and a mental health advocate. Her education was completed in the Indian (in India and the Middle East) and the Canadian schooling systems. She earned her undergraduate degree specializing in Molecular Biology and Molecular Genetics from the University of Toronto. She completed her MSc in Genetics from the University of Waterloo studying embryogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster (fruit flies), and her PhD in Cellular Biology from McMaster University researching inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) mouse model. Her postdoctoral research was in Immunology evaluating the immune memory in food allergies (specifically peanut allergy) at Mcmaster University. Apart from being a scientist, Roopali has founded a not-for-profit named Lotus STEMM, which is a networking and a leadership platform for South Asian women in STEMM fields. Additionally, she owns a custom cake bakery named (C6H12O6)3 i.e.SugarKube, with a passion for science-themed cakes, and “edible” science communication.
What’s the most important thing you have learned in your career?
Never shy away from a learning opportunity. If you are comfortable and know exactly what you have to do, then you’re stagnant. Let discomfort settle in, and learn to embrace it. Discomfort helps you learn more about yourself, and forces you to learn a new skill.
Did you have a mentor? If so, how did you find them and how old were you?
I’ve had many mentors in life. But, my first mentor was my mom; from a young age I saw her taking new challenges head on. Though not a woman in STEM, she is probably the strongest woman I know! More
The Passion Project: hEr VOLUTION | Doina Oncel Part 2
This post was originally posted on The Passion Project on February 4, 2019. Please see the original story here.
“What if the cure to cancer was stuck in someone’s mind who couldn’t afford an education?”
This is a question that Doina wakes up to every morning.
“What I realized from doing what I do, a lot of the young women are very determined. They all just want a chance; they all want an opportunity.” Doina says, “What upsets me is that there are so many barriers preventing them from being that person they are meant to be.”
Doina Oncel is the CEO/Founder of hEr VOLUTION, a non profit organization designed to provide access to women and young girls to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) based education and employment opportunities. More