A Smarter STEM • Dr. Natoshia Anderson

(Founder and CEO, Smart STEM || GA USA)

“In high school, mechanical engineering was presented to me as the business of problem solving. That felt like me, so I went to college to study it. After I graduated I was a mechanical engineer for almost ten years. I made trains, then moved to designing cars, then systems for buildings. Throughout the journey it became evident that I was always surrounded by men, most of them didn’t look like me. I kept thinking — I’m not unique, I cannot be the only woman, the only black person interested in engineering. I also thought if I were to be a part of solving the problem, then education would be the way to do it.

•

I went to teach at our local community college. Community colleges have a vital role in diversifying STEM. They have opportunities to reach communities that four-year colleges don’t, and they have relationships with businesses that lead directly to putting people to work — jobs that make a nice living, like cybersecurity, IT, welding, cosmetology. Community colleges do a good job, but only when people discover them. I was always thinking — what can I do in this space to promote women, women of color, and minorities in STEM? I brought women’s groups on campus, set up scholarships and internships with industry. But when I felt I’d done all I could in that space, it was time to do it on my own — so I started my business, Smart STEM.

•

It’s been project after project since I left the community college, consulting for organizations. In schools, a big part of my job is making teachers aware of the effects their words can have on young girls. Say you had a teacher — someone you respected and cared about — say to you offhandedly, ‘Science may not be your thing.’ Girls tend to internalize that and act accordingly. When I talk to businesses and industry, I take inventory of their culture and environment. What does the data say? How many women have you brought in? How many women left, and why did they leave? It’s an analytical approach — you look at the problem, you devise a solution, and you execute it. As an engineer — a problem solver — I can’t think of how else to do it!”

•••

Check out Dr. Toshia’s podcast, ‘STEMming in Stilettos,’ on Spotify where she interviews women in STEM fields: https://bit.ly/stemletto