Erica is currently a junior in high school. She began her journey with FemSTEM, an afterschool program for elementary girls with the purpose of inspiring their passion for STEM, in 2023, with strong motivation to encourage girls to pursue a future career in the STEM field. 

 

Erica has always had a passion for STEM, even as a little girl. On her eighth birthday, she received the science cartoon book series entitled “Why?” sparking her natural curiosity in the sciences.  Since then, her interest in STEM gradually grew, and thus she began her journey on the path of the sciences. However, not so long after she entered middle school, she soon noticed the unfortunate  “status quo” - the lack of female representation in the STEM field. During her first year of middle school, she often recognized herself as the “odd one out” because she was one of the handful of girls in her entire grade who sought STEM classes. This awareness deepened when she was the only girl out of the eight 7th-grade students selected in her entire grade to advance into higher-level math courses. Having firsthand experience in the lack of female representation in the STEM field herself, Erica sincerely hopes to inspire and encourage other young females who may experience similar struggles as those she had previously been exposed to. Thus was her motivation behind her entrance to the FemSTEM. 

 

Although Erica has always loved science and math, which have been her favorite subjects since she entered middle school, she has also gained an interest in engineering, especially in regard to programming. Her interest in engineering may have also been fueled by being raised in a household by parents working in the field of programming. In her first two years of high school, Erica has already taken AP Biology and Chemistry and plans to take AP Chemistry, AP Calculus AB, and programming in the upcoming year of high school as she continues to pursue a path in STEM education. 

 

Starting at the age of 13, Erica has had the opportunity to experience educating younger children as a part of different organizations like KOWIN and Asian Maeul. Apart from her passion in teaching and STEM, Erica enjoys singing, playing music, drawing, and reading novels during her free time. By joining FemSTEM, Erica hopes to connect with as many young, bright students and guide them through the paths of STEM.