Women in STEM Career Panel at Southern High School.
The Fort Meade Alliance’s recent Career Panels focused on Women in STEM, where panelists shared their perspective on working in the STEM field as a woman, discussed career paths and the importance of mentorship to more than 200 students at three Anne Arundel High Schools.
“Today, still in 2024, there are not enough women or people of color studying computer science or working in the field. So I always take the opportunity to share with young students what I think was one of the best decisions I ever made,” said Shana Cosgrove of Nyla Technology Solutions. “Studying and working in tech is not easy but it is worth it and deeply rewarding. I hoped that by sharing, I lit a spark for even one person to envision their future in a way they might not have thought possible before.”
Cosgrove, along with Janelle Romano of CACI International Inc., Lindsay Dady of U.S. Cyber Command; Kathy Daumer of Monarch Strategies and Jacquetta Jacobs of Capstone Technology Partners, Inc. spoke to students at Meade High School.
Women in STEM Career Panel at Meade High School.
“My favorite take away was learning there were multiple participants that were not surprised that a STEM panel was comprised of all women,” said Jacobs. “It’s a wonderful testament to the efforts of women STEM pioneers and proof that a paradigm shift is in progress.”
Southern High School students heard from an informative panel which consisted of Logan Thompson of BigBear.ai; Michelle Drzewiecki, of RealmOne; Jennifer Kargus of Omega Minds and Kim Stanbro of MasterPeace Solutions.
“It is vital that our FMA members show students the endless possibilities for their future,” said Doreen Harwood, FMA Education and Workforce Committee Chair. “Our women panels were inspiring, engaging and down to earth.”
Women in STEM Career Panel at Crofton High School.
Another panel, comprised of Kara Kehoe of RedDrum, Linh Nguyen of PLEX Solutions, LLC, Tyler Evangelista of U.S. Space Force and Theresa Olson of AHP Global Enterprises LLC spoke candidly to 11th grade students at Crofton High School.
“There was an instant camaraderie and support amongst the panel members,” said Olsen. “It was evident to the kids present and made them more engaged as they saw us uplift each other. It made it easier to share real, raw stories and show the students that imperfect paths lead to great outcomes.”
