Although Maggie Walker is a school known for its excellent government and international studies programs, STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and math) hold immense value to not only just the curriculum of Maggie Walker, but to the community. STEM clubs such as robotics are the largest in the school, and such an aspect of our school allows students to explore a plethora of opportunities.

However, the issue of diversity in the STEM field still rages on, both in school and in the real world. In a recent study by Pew Research Center, African Americans only make up a little more than nine percent of the total STEM workforce, while Hispanics make up eight percent. The same study also presents that female employment in physical sciences, such as engineering, has stayed within the range of fifteen percent. Compared with these striking numbers in the real world, the question arises whether the same lack of representation exists in the STEM community here at Maggie Walker.

When asked about the team’s outlook on diversity, Mr. Mark Sailer, science teacher and faculty sponsor of the robotics team, said, “The team is very open-minded, but there are always issues regardless of where you go. However, the team does a pretty good job of being receptive to everyone.” Maggie Walker is known for its global perspective and in the past year has taken steps to become more aware of students’ backgrounds and to provide an inclusive environment for all; the Mech Tech Dragons robotics team is no exception.

In terms of ethnic backgrounds, the responses to a survey of the robotics team’s demographics show that 34.7% of students are white, 5% are Black, 60.4% are Asian, and 1% are Hispanic/ Latinx. Although Maggie Walker does have a relatively large white and Asian population, with a lower number of African American and Hispanic students, the number of team members in any club who identify from the latter two demographics will be somewhat lower. However, nothing changes the fact that we need greater representation of minorities in the STEM field. Students in all STEM activities and clubs have developed an inclusive mindset and diversity throughout the school regarding STEM has greatly improved.

The world is changing every day with increased diversity in every field, especially STEM. Maggie Walker is not too far behind, although there is still a long way to go. The STEM world is ever-changing—who knows what it has in store for those interested in the STEM field?

Information retrieved from the Pew Research Center and the National Center for Educational Statistics.