New York City Teen, Calliope Speredakos, Launches 'Girls' STEMpede'

NEW YORK, Sept. 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Calliope Speredakos, a senior at the Marymount School of New York and recent winner of the Daily Points of Light Award, is thrilled to announce the launch of Girls' STEMpede, a video series that celebrates the importance of role models in further engaging girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Created to cultivate a community of like-minded women in STEM and encourage them to share their knowledge, passions and experiences, Girls' STEMpede will officially launch on Thursday, September 23.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, women make up nearly half of the U.S. workforce, but only 27% of STEM workers. A recent Microsoft study has found that girls generally lose interest in STEM around the age of 15 due to a variety of reasons surrounding harmful stereotypes. Additional statistics include:

• Women have won just 19 of over 600 Nobel Prizes awarded in STEM since 1901
• Only 21% of Engineering and 19% of Computer Science college majors are women ? AAUW
• Men are 7X more likely to be featured in STEM roles in TV and Film ? WEF
• Less than 1/3 of female students choose higher education classes in Math and Engineering ? WEF

Speredakos was often the only girl to partake in various scientific and paleontological expeditions as a child, which exposed her to these statistics from a young age and led her to become increasingly aware of the underrepresentation women have in the STEM workforce. Determined to change the gender ratio and stereotypes in STEM, as well as create a network for young women and girls to pursue their passions, Speredakos created Girls' STEMpede to introduce female pioneers in the hopes of inspiring future generations. She identified and interviewed successful women in paleontology, astrophysics, computer engineering, medicine, cosmetics chemistry, digital technology, and more to show young girls that, no matter their field of interest, they too belong in STEM.

Interviews with Nieca Goldberg, Senior Advisor of Women's Health Strategy at NYU Langone, and Alex Wolfe, Engineering Manager at Coinbase, are the first two to be published. Both discuss the women who inspired their STEM careers, the moment that sparked their love of STEM, and the victories and defeats they have experienced as women in a traditionally male dominated field. To further support the mission, Speredakos created a 501c3 nonprofit to support underserved girls in STEM that will launch later this year and plans to continue to build the Girls' STEMpede platform throughout her college experience.

"Our mission at Girls' STEMpede is to provide a platform to amplify the voices of the successful, remarkable and inspiring females in STEM, especially focusing on their earliest experiences and the trajectory of their careers," says founder, Calliope Speredakos. "The goal is to expose young women and girls to females from very diverse walks of life in interesting careers, hoping that these role models will help disable the stereotypes surrounding women in STEM and give these girls newfound motivation and confidence to pursue their passions."

Speredakos is also an entrepreneurial philanthropist who has continually gone above and beyond to serve both her peers and strangers alike. Through her Blessing in a PopGrip initiative, Speredakos raised over $35,000 and continues to support the fight against childhood food insecurity. Her work earned her both the Daily Points of Light Award and the Inspiration Honor Role from The Points of Light Foundation for outstanding community service. Girls' STEMpede furthers Speredakos' philanthropic passions through a new outlet ? creating a safe and nurturing environment for young women and girls that ensures they feel supported as they pursue their STEM dreams.

For additional information on Girls' STEMpede, visit www.girlsstempede.com, follow @GirlsSTEMpede and join the growing community for new weekly interviews.

SOURCE Girls' STEMpede