Celebrating 10 Years of Girlstart in North Texas: Unleashing Girls’ STEM Potential

Can you believe it? Girlstart is celebrating an incredible milestone—our 10th anniversary in North Texas! 🎉 It’s been an amazing decade of empowering girls, nurturing their curiosity, and unleashing their limitless potential in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Since we expanded to North Texas in 2013, Girlstart has served more than 6,000 girls and their families through our After School, Summer Camp, and Community STEM programs. Let’s take a journey through the transformative years and exciting accomplishments that have shaped our presence in this vibrant region.

Expanding to North Texas 2013

Back in 2013, Girlstart embarked on an exciting mission to bring our innovative STEM programs to North Texas. We recognized the untapped potential in the region, and we were determined to provide opportunities for girls to ignite their passion for all things STEM. With a range of engaging programs designed to inspire curiosity in every girl, from After School to Summer Camp, we set off on a journey of discovery together!

“When we started our programming in Dallas, I would drive materials from our Austin office to our STEM CREW each semester. We once had a STEM CREW who had to keep her Girlstart materials under her lofted dorm room bed! From adding schools to new districts to expanding university partnerships, Girlstart has had significant growth over the past 10 years. I am so proud of all the work we’ve done and I’m looking forward to what the future holds!” – Katelyn Wamsted, Girlstart’s Chief Program Officer

Opening Our Office in 2017

Fast forward to 2017, when we proudly established our very own office space. With the launch and growth of our programming in North Texas, we paved the way for budding scientists, curious engineers, tech-savvy innovators, and future mathematicians—and provided opportunities for girls to explore their passions without limitations and embrace their potential as STEM superstars!

Girls in STEM Conference 2023: A Celebration of Brilliance

Earlier this year, we proudly hosted our first Girls in STEM Conference in North Texas, where 142 girls had the opportunity to attend unique workshops led by professional women in STEM. This STEM-tastic event brought together girls from all across North Texas, where they connected with like-minded peers, learned from women in STEM in industries like cosmetics and aerospace engineering, and participated in hands-on workshops designed to spark their curiosity about STEM.

“Girls in STEM made me feel more confident in math and science.” – Haleigh, 5th grader

Not only did we host our inaugural North Texas Girls in STEM Conference, but we also served many girls through our After School and Summer Camp programs. During the 2022-2023 school year, almost 450 girls across 4 school districts and 15 schools participated in After School in North Texas—for free. Girls in our After School program practiced the Engineering Design Process, explored zoology, learned about renewable and nonrenewable resources, coded an Ozobot to perform cool tricks, and more!

“Girlstart After School has inspired me to not give up and work at the things I love!” – Kelanie, 4th grader

This summer, we held four weeks of Summer Camp in North Texas, impacting almost 100 girls. Campers explored the STEM concepts that veterinarians use to keep your favorite animal healthy. From cat genetics to animal prosthetics to stuffed animal sutures, our girls had an eventful week discovering “STEM is everywhere.”

“Girlstart Summer Camp inspired me to be brave, not give up on my projects, and learn from my mistakes!” – Mia, 5th grader

Fueling the Flame: Our Dedicated Staff

None of our achievements in North Texas would have been possible without the dedication and passion of our incredible team. We are proud to have six full-time staff members in North Texas who are committed to making a lasting impact on the lives of the girls we serve. From our Executive Director Shane Woods to our North Texas Program Assistant Jaylynn Jolley, these passionate women work tirelessly to create engaging programs, guide our girls toward success, and provide the mentorship and support they need to flourish in their STEM journeys.

“I truly wish I had this opportunity when I was younger. Working as an intern and now as a coordinator, it’s been amazing to see Girlstart’s impact. My favorite thing is seeing everyone grow—from witnessing our interns begin their careers to watching the girls discover the wonders of STEM and gain confidence in themselves.” – Morgan Stinnett, Girlstart’s North Texas Senior Program Coordinator

Supercharging Our Mission with a Partnership

We believe in the power of collaboration, and nothing exemplifies that more than our partnership with Dallas Afterschool. This invaluable collaboration has helped us enhance the standards of our programs, ensuring that every girl in North Texas receives the highest quality STEM education, and provides professional development opportunities for our program staff. Together, we’re breaking barriers, redefining what’s possible, and shaping a future where girls are at the forefront of technological innovation and scientific discovery.

“I’m really thankful for my time at Girlstart. I’ve seen firsthand how it empowers young women, and I think the program should exist everywhere!” – Emily Armstrong, North Texas STEM CREW

Looking Ahead: A Future Filled with STEM Excellence

As we celebrate our 10th anniversary in North Texas, we couldn’t be more excited about what the future holds for Girlstart in this region. We will continue nurturing the next generation of STEM leaders, creating opportunities for girls to explore their passions and challenge societal norms. We envision a future where every girl has the confidence, knowledge, and support to pursue her dreams relentlessly, fearlessly, and unapologetically.

Join us as we celebrate a decade of empowerment and STEM excellence in North Texas. Together, we can change the world—one brilliant mind at a time!

North Texas Giving Day

Before you leave, we invite you to support us for North Texas Giving Day! Your gift of any size during NTX Giving Day will support and sustain Girlstart as we continue our After School programs in North Texas. With your help, we can reach even more girls and double our impact over the next 10 years. Give today!

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April 24, 2020April 24, 2020

Plants to the Rescue!

Earth Day is the perfect time to learn how you can make the Earth a better place! Our world is full of nature and Girlstart wants you to channel your inner botanist today. A botanist is a special type of scientist who studies plants and how they grow. Let’s explore how we can be more like a botanist. As you might have guessed, it all starts with plants.

Plants help the environment in a bunch of different ways. Sure, they can be pretty and smell nice, but did you know that they are some of the hardest workers in the environment? Let’s look at a few of the ways that planting leafy friends can help our Earth!

Munching on Carbon Dioxide

When you breathe in, you take in oxygen from the air. That oxygen is used to help power your body. But you don’t breathe out that same oxygen. Instead, you breathe out carbon dioxide. In small quantities, carbon dioxide isn’t all bad. But it’s not just us sending carbon dioxide out into the air. When humans burn fossil fuels for energy, much more of that same carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. Large amounts of carbon dioxide like this harm the environment.

Lucky for us, carbon dioxide is exactly what plants like to snack on. Plants are considered “carbon sinks” – that means they take in carbon dioxide and use it to make food for themselves. By planting new green friends, you can help remove carbon dioxide from our atmosphere and reduce air pollution.

Pollution Destroyer

Plants protect water from pollution, too! When there is pollution in rain, plants use their roots as a filter to remove harmful pollutants from ponds, rivers, and lakes.

Stay on Solid Ground

If you live in a place with landslides, trees could be a great help to you! The roots of trees grow into the ground and help to keep it from moving. Without plant roots in the soil, it’s a lot easier for landslides to happen since nothing is left to hold the soil in place.

A Place to Live

Treehouses aren’t the only way that plants can be a home! Throughout nature, plants act as shelter for many animals. They are a great place for small creatures to hide from predators and birds to make their nests. Big plants, like trees, provide shade for all types of animals and plants and protect them from overheating in the sun.

Plants are amazing environmental helpers! They provide so much more to our daily lives than just being something nice to look at. Join Girlstart as we wrap up celebrating Earth Day by working in your garden or maybe even planting some seeds!

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October 4, 2018October 10, 2018

Thank You Girls in STEM Volunteers in Houston

Girlstart hosted it’s first Girls in STEM Conference in Houston, TX on Saturday, September 22nd at Alief Taylor High school. The rain didn’t stop over 200 4th-5th grade girls from attending this one day conference.

Throughout the day, girls attended hands-on workshops led by women from companies such as: ExxonMobil, Acxiom, Jacobs Technologies, Weatherford, Shell, Pape-Dawson, and so many others. A big thank you to the 50+ presenters/co-presenters for sharing their Saturday with us and inspiring girls.

There were also close to 60 volunteers who helped behind the scenes with setting up, checking in girls, monitoring halls, assisting workshops, helping presenters unload and load up their cars, and more. The day wouldn’t have been possible without the help of our amazing volunteers.

View photos from the day HERE

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Houston, TX – Girls in STEM Conference

Girls currently in 4th-5th grades will discover the fun side of STEM careers at this unique conference just for them. The day is packed with three hands-on workshops led by women in science, technology, engineering, and math fields.

Girls in STEM Conference 2022 Coming Soon

We are excited to bring back our annual Girls in STEM Conference Fall 2022! Check back in August for more information.

Girlstart’s top priority is the safety of our participants, our staff and volunteers, and our community. To provide maximum COVID-19 safety and STEM fun, we will continue to meet or exceed guidelines provided by the CDC, and state and local health departments. Information regarding our 2022 COVID safety protocols will be shared closer to the conference.

In the meantime, Girlstart is continuing to highlight amazing women in STEM through our Women in STEM blog and video series. Be inspired as these incredible women describe how they became interested in their field, provide insight into a day in their life, and share learnings from their experiences.

Additionally, please visit our dedicated ‘STEM at Home’ online resource for engaging activities, virtual Starry Nights, and other STEM experiences that you can do at home with the whole family. And don’t forget to check out our all-new DeSTEMber calendar with 31 days of hands-on STEM fun.

If you have questions, please reach out to us by emailing camps@girlstart.org. Thank you for being part of the Girlstart family!