Our alums share their stories

Providing girls with equitable opportunities to explore STEM and discover their innate potential is why we exist. Naturally, one of the greatest rewards of our work is seeing the success of our alums – it motivates us every day to inspire more girls to pursue STEM careers.

We want to take a moment to share how Design Connect Create’s transformative STEM workshops, camps and mentorship programs have impacted our alums and how many, in turn, are paying their experience forward.

Cindy Ruto

Cindy Ruto, a former camper in our mentorship program has launched a STEM program of her own. A senior at Berkner STEM Academy, Cindy worked with other DCC alums to start a program that encourages girls in Berkner’s middle school feeder schools to explore STEM pathways.

Cindy says: "Being a part of the Design Connect Create program has introduced me to many opportunities I never knew existed for me as a young woman of color. Through the mentorship program, I was paired with a wonderful mentor in the STEM field who has a similar life story to mine. She has inspired me to achieve greatness.”

Janavi Chadha

Janavi Chadha, a former camper and TA with DCC, is now a junior at Penn State University majoring in computer science. Inspired by her experience at DCC, she used a grant from the National Center for Women in Computer to create the first-ever CodeHER camp with DCC last summer to introduce young girls to the field of computer science.

Janavi says: “Design Connect Create helped me execute my plan and worked with me to create the first-ever CodeHER camp. Together we hosted seven camps last summer, all of which were a great success, and this summer we plan to expand into the second CodeHER camp series. I’ve had a great time working with Design Connect Create, and I hope to collaborate with them for many years to come.”

Mary Oo

Mary Oo was a camper in 2020 and 2021. She is also completing her second year as a mentee in our LeadHER Mentoring and Leadership Program. The ability to hear from women in the STEM field and explore topics in STEM has given her more clarity about the possibilities STEM has to offer and confidence to help other girls as an officer in her school’s STEM program.

Mary says: ”DCC has helped me realize what professional direction I want to take. On a field trip to see the #IfThenSheCan statues of women in the STEM field at NorthPark Center, I had the opportunity to listen to two of the Ambassadors. When they shared that STEM also encompasses management, graphic design and operations careers that support innovation, it made me more confident to study business.”

Lisa Nambesa was a camper in 2020 and is a second-year mentee who is proud to be part of the DCC family. She is a senior at Forney High School.

Lisa Nambesa

Lisa says: “I joined Design Connect Create at the end of my sophomore year, right before the pandemic hit. Little did I know then how much DCC would impact my life. As a woman with dreams of becoming a biomedical engineer, I was truly inspired by the stories of successful women in the STEM field and realized that each failure puts me closer to success.”

We hope you are as inspired by these young women’s stories as we are. Together, we can help them create a path to a limitless future!