Twenty fourth-grade girls bent over their projects as the clock inched toward 4:30. They straightened their balloon cars, scribbled in the last couple of words on their dual-language posters and prepared their speeches. The first parents began to wander into the room and the girls took a deep breath. It was almost showtime.

As they waited for their girls to put finishing touches on their projects, parents began to reflect on how Girlstart had shaped their girls.

“My daughter is very energetic and much more hands on now,” said Virginia, a Girlstart parent at Tom Green Elementary. “She’s always asking how things are made and suggesting ideas.”

Across the room, her daughter tested the endurance of her balloon powered car. Virginia smiled.

“It’s just non-stop ideas,” Virginia continued. “She finds different ways to solve problems now. She’s thinking out of the box, instead of just on a simple path.”

Antoinette, another Girlstart parent, said her daughter lights up when she explains each week’s project.

“She’s always been creative so when she tries new ideas and makes them work, it builds her confidence,” Antoinette said. “She has a lot of fun.”

Cars zoomed across the floor, paper rockets soared into the air and birthday cards lit up with the touch of a button in preparation for the showcase.

These are the kinds of projects that girls like Trinity, a Girlstart participant, said made her excited to go to school this year.

“It’s like night and day, their personalities in my classroom and in girlstart,” said Wendy Carrillo, a Girlstart leader at Wooten Elementary. “Girlstart makes the girls so enthusiastic and outgoing.”

The girls’ enthusiasm flooded the room when 4:30 struck. They took their places as the parents got ready to learn about science.

Each group stood in front of the wall of focused, beaming parents and presented their projects. They confidently shared their knowledge of STEM careers and science.

Afterward, the parents applauded and embraced their girls. For a moment, a hint of sadness and finality invaded the room. The STEM crew promptly came to the rescue.

They reminded the girls that even though Girlstart after school had ended for the year, the girls still had deSTEMber to look forward to. And that was definitely something to get excited about.