The Tillamook Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) held the 18th Annual STEM recognition event at Tillamook Bay Community College on Sunday, February 23, 2020. The event honored young women from local Tillamook County High Schools who have excelled in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
Students were nominated by their teachers for their strength and achievement in the STEM areas. The 2019 honorees were:
Nestucca Valley Junior/Senior High School: Mathematics, Veronica Chavarin; Technology, Cara Simpson
Neah Kah Nie High School: Mathematics, Karissa Hadermann; Science, Kayla Naylor; Technology, Megan Troutman
Tillamook High School: Mathematics, Brinda Jimenez; Science, Katey Jenck; Technology, Brinda Jimenez
AAUW Member Lisa Phipps had a conversation with the nominees about what they like about STEM subjects, challenges that they have faced, and their future plans.
The guest speaker was Miss Oregon 2019, Shivali Kadam, a chemical engineer working in construction management. Her social impact platform is “STEM to Bloom: Growing the Next Generation of Female Engineers and Scientists”. She spoke to the group of her challenges, both in becoming an engineer and pageant life. Shivali’s Facebook Page shares that “We honored seven phenomenal young women from three high schools for their exceptional scholastic achievements in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. I loved hearing them speak about the obstacles they’ve overcome thus far in their lives and their plans for their futures.”
AAUW advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy and research. The Tillamook branch is almost 70 women strong and encourages women in Tillamook County who are interested in supporting young women in our community and beyond to consider joining. Information can be found at https://tillamook-or.aauw.net/ or on our Facebook page. The next AAUW fundraiser event to support local scholarships will be the Wine and Chocolate Affair on May 3 – keep an eye out for online tickets.
