Hackergal transformed my STEAM journey.
What began as a search for belonging grew into a path of leadership, advocacy, and empowerment and along the way, I found a community that gave me the confidence to inspire other girls in technology.
Becoming a Hackergal Ambassador gave me opportunities to advocate for STEAM equity, connect with incredible female mentors, and create meaningful change within my school community.
As an Ambassador, I participated in programs like the Women in Tech Carousel, where I received mentorship from female STEAM industry experts who inspired me to dream bigger. Kim and Savina, the Ambassador leads, even visited my school to lead a transformative session on Bias in AI, sparking important conversations about representation and ethics in technology.
I also had the opportunity to organize the Hackergal Hackathon at my school this past April, helping more girls discover the creativity and excitement of coding. These experiences showed me that STEAM is not just about technology — it is about community, confidence, and creating opportunities for others.
What makes these opportunities even more meaningful is knowing how far I have come in my own STEAM journey. For those who don’t know me, my journey into STEAM began unexpectedly in Grade 7. During a casual conversation, Python was mentioned, and I was fascinated by how a few lines of code could instruct a computer to think, calculate, and create. That moment stayed with me. As my interest grew in computer science, my mom encouraged me to take on a challenge – Harvard University’s CS50 course. Completing such a rigorous course in Grade 7 was not easy, but it confirmed something important: computer science was a field which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Soon after, I participated in the Canadian Computing Challenge organized by the University of Waterloo. Achieving a perfect score felt unreal and validated my hard work and passion for coding.
These accomplishments helped me get selected as Vice President of the Coding Club in my first year of high school. Leading a club I was deeply passionate about felt like a dream. However, after a few meetings, the excitement faded. I began to notice I was the only girl in the room. What once felt empowering became isolating. The lack of representation affected my confidence, and for the first time, I even considered stepping away from coding.
That’s when I began researching and found out about the great gender gap in STEAM – and that’s how I discovered Hackergal, working to close this gap.
Hackergal helped me realize that my experience was not unique; many girls face similar challenges in STEAM spaces. It made me feel part of a greater community that is ready to support and encourage me every step of the way in my STEAM journey. Inspired by this realization, I founded a Hackergal Coding Club at my school and began hosting weekly sessions for girls. Hackergal truly helped me rediscover my love for coding and believe in myself.
I then participated in the Hackergal National Hackathon for the first time. It was an incredible experience, and winning it was thrilling! I also had the opportunity to attend the Sago Mini x Hackergal Workshop on game coding, where I had an unforgettable experience:
During one session, presenters displayed images of male tech CEOs, and everyone immediately recognized them. When the slide shifted to female tech CEOs, none of us could name them. That moment struck me deeply. I didn’t know Melanie Perkins was the founder and CEO of Canva, that Ada Lovelace was the world’s first programmer, or that Hedy Lamarr created the foundation for WiFi. This realization pushed me to consciously learn about the accomplishments of women in STEAM and inspired me to encourage other girls to recognize the impact women have had in technology throughout history.
I carried my commitment to empowering girls in STEAM into my public speaking. My speeches and TED Talk focus on increasing female participation in STEAM and challenging stereotypes.
My commitment to leadership and service was recognized through the Newmarket Youth Award. I was also honored to be selected for the Canadian Informatics Workshop at the University of Waterloo as one of the top-performing girls across Canada in the Canadian Computing Competition Senior. Today, I serve as President of my school’s Coding Club, continuing to lead initiatives to get girls excited about STEAM. And none of this would have been possible without the support, opportunities, and empowerment Hackergal provides!
My story shows that curiosity can spark confidence, but without a supportive community, it cannot be sustained. Hackergal didn’t just empower me in STEAM – it helped me lead, advocate, and empower others. And that is a journey every girl nationwide deserves. Let’s build the future of STEAM together!