Seven years ago, AstraFemina began with a simple but important question: What about the girls who do not already have a woman in STEM within their network?
Many women working in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are asked to speak with students because of a personal connection. A friend knows an engineer. A teacher knows someone who works in aerospace. A parent knows a scientist who would be happy to visit a classroom. Those connections can give girls an incredible opportunity to meet women whose careers help them imagine new possibilities for their own futures.
But not every school, youth program, or community has those connections. AstraFemina was created to help change that.
“Many of us get requests from friends or friends of friends, those who are connected to the network, to talk to girls about STEM,” explained AstraFemina Board President Dr. Sandra Magnus, “We all recognize the importance and power of role models and believe strongly in encouraging girls to consider STEM as an interesting and challenging career.”
As those requests continued, the women who would eventually form AstraFemina began thinking about the communities that did not have a woman in STEM within their existing networks.
“We started wondering about those who do not have access to a network that included a woman in STEM role model,” Dr. Magnus said, “AstraFemina is our solution to that problem.”
The idea had been discussed for some time. The future members of AstraFemina shared a passion for telling their stories and encouraging girls and young women to explore STEM. At the same time, educators and community organizations were working hard to introduce girls to these fields but did not always know how to find women who could speak with them.
Creating a way to bring those two groups together felt like a natural step.
AstraFemina was formed so that any organization offering STEM programming for girls could reach out and connect with women working in those fields. Through those connections, girls have the opportunity to hear directly from women whose careers may be very different from anything they have previously imagined for themselves.
These experiences offer more than an introduction to a job or a particular area of study. They allow girls to ask questions, hear honest stories, and meet someone who can make a future in STEM feel more real.
“Sometimes it helps to see someone like you doing something you have not yet imagined for yourself, to realize that your possibilities are endless,” Dr. Magnus emphasized.
That belief is at the heart of AstraFemina’s work. Girls may have heard about scientists, engineers, astronauts, researchers, and technology professionals, but meeting a woman who has built a life and career in one of those fields creates a much more personal connection.
It also helps girls understand that there is no single path into STEM. Every AstraFemina member brings her own story, including the interests that first sparked her curiosity, the challenges she encountered, the choices she made, and the lessons she learned along the way.
“Stories have power,” Dr. Magnus reflected, “The stories our members share bring to life the world of STEM and the creativity of STEM careers. Our members share their journeys and, in doing so, provide concrete examples for the girls to see that they, too, can tread the same path.”
By sharing real experiences, AstraFemina’s members can help make STEM feel welcoming, creative, exciting, and achievable. Their stories show girls that the people working in these careers are not distant figures in a textbook. They are real women who were once students themselves, discovering their interests and imagining what they might become.
AstraFemina’s goal is not to tell every girl that she must choose a STEM career. It is to make sure she knows that she can.
When AstraFemina was founded, its members hoped to reach communities that had no other way to connect with women in STEM. They wanted girls to see the enormous variety of careers available to them and to continue following their interests, even if someone told them, directly or indirectly, that “girls don’t do that.”
Seven years later, that original vision continues to guide the organization. AstraFemina has developed relationships with returning partners while also welcoming new organizations that learn about its mission. Its membership continues to grow and become more diverse, allowing girls to meet women with a wider range of backgrounds, experiences, and STEM careers.
The organization has approached that growth thoughtfully, adding partners and members at a measured pace so it can continue creating meaningful experiences. Feedback from participating girls and partner organizations helps AstraFemina understand the difference those experiences are making.
As Dr. Magnus acknowledged, it can be difficult to know the full effect that one speaker, one story, or one conversation might have on a young person’s life. Sometimes, however, a girl says something that captures the impact perfectly. “I love the comments from the girls that state, ‘I feel like I can do anything now.’”
That is exactly what AstraFemina hopes every girl will take away from an experience with one of its members: the belief that she can be whatever she wants to be.
None of this would be possible without the women who choose to give their time to AstraFemina. Its members are volunteers with careers, families, responsibilities, and busy lives of their own. Even so, they continue to show up, share their experiences, answer questions, and encourage the next generation.
“I feel really lucky to be working with such an amazing group of women who all banded together to give back and reach out to girls to share our passion in STEM,” Dr. Magnus shared, “All of our members are volunteers, and everyone has really busy lives, so choosing to spend time on AstraFemina is a great gift.”
That shared commitment has carried AstraFemina through its first seven years. Behind every event is a group of people who believe deeply in the power of role models to touch young lives, help girls recognize their own potential, and encourage them to dream big.
As AstraFemina looks toward the next seven years, its mission remains as important as ever. There are still schools, youth programs, and communities searching for women in STEM who can engage with their girls. By continuing to share its mission, build partnerships, and welcome more women from across STEM fields, AstraFemina hopes to reach even more of them.
“As we get more active on social media and spread the word about our mission and the great group of women in our organization, I hope that we can reach those groups that have nowhere else to turn to find women in STEM role models to engage with their girls,” Dr. Magnus said.
For seven years, AstraFemina has worked to make meaningful connections between women in STEM and the girls who need to see what is possible. That work continues through every member who shares her story, every partner who welcomes an AstraFemina speaker, and every girl who leaves an event feeling a little more confident about her future.
As we celebrate this anniversary, we are grateful to everyone who has helped AstraFemina grow, including our members, partners, supporters, volunteers, and the girls who continue to inspire our work.
Here is to seven years of sharing stories, opening doors, and showing girls that their possibilities are endless. We cannot wait to see what the next seven years will bring.
