This program was a week long event that was hosted by my school, Academy of Notre Dame de Namur.  Everyday we ate two meals with students from our sister schools to promote community, we took classes on global topics together, and participated in team building activities such as making dances or a school wide scavenger hunt. I was able to participate in this program the summer before my sophomore year which later influenced my desire to travel to our sister school in Peru for a Global Exchange Program (more details under travel). This remains my most cherished experience through my school and truly gave me so much experience with collaboration, culture, and learning.

Global Health

This class focused on how different countries go about health in their nations. We did group slideshows and had open discussions to share practices in each country from personal experience. By the end of the week I truly learned and understood so much more about how the United States' healthcare differs from other countries.

Art of Math

This class looked into different pieces of art from around the world, which we then learned to scale down and make 3D models of each of the pieces. Each group chose a piece and at the end of the week we showed them off to other groups, seeing if the models resembled the paintings.

All participants were from our sister schools in Peru, Argentina, Taiwan, England, and Japan. The girls were all in highschool and participated in the event and outside trips to learn more about Philadelphia. We all exchanged numbers, instagrams, and gift bags after an amazing week bonding and learning together. Leaving was extremely sad, but to know I have connections in many parts of the world brings me a lot of comfort.

For this event Dr. Mae Jemison came to speak about her experience as a woman, woman of color, and how she believes women in STEM are valuable members. I truly gained so much from her talk especially when looking at how women fit into fields that are often male dominated. She gave many empowering words to us and found that steps such as this event are what empower young women to succeed and surpass expectations. I am so fortunate to have been able to hear her inspiring words and it was a beautiful way to end our week long Stem Symposium.