It’s important to introduce STEM and its opportunities to Black girls and women, according to Kara Branch, founder and CEO, Black Girls Do Engineer Corporation.

WorkingNation sat down with Branch at SXSW EDU 2023 in Austin.

“I come from an underserved community. I’m a first-gen college graduate. I had never in my life been asked just a simple question, ‘Do I want be an engineer?’” notes Branch – who is now a chemical engineer.

She says her Houston-based organization has a ‘see it to believe it’ approach. “[Participants] do things around life science, AI, energy, and a lot of other things within our program.” In addition to Houston, there are chapters in Los Angeles and New Orleans, as well as a virtual platform.

“We’re watching these girls’ lives change. They’re going out there and able to tell people what they want to be.”

Learn more about Black Girls Do Engineer Corporation.