Tuesday, March 3, 2026
Recently, Bakersfield College hosted the annual Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day.
This exciting event brings together young women from high schools from across Kern
County to learn more about engineering and STEM career fields. The day is filled with
a variety of activities, including engineering panels, professional development workshops,
a keynote speaker, and more.
Sara Sullivan, Program Manager of the California Renewable Energy Lab at Kern CCD
and one of the event coordinators, talked about the importance of the event, “Introduce
a Girl to Engineering Day is important because it expands access and opportunity for
young women who may not otherwise see engineering as an attainable career,” she said,
“The event highlights the importance of diversity in STEM fields and aims to motivate
young women to imagine themselves in technical careers.”
The event started with an Engineering Panel where industry professionals shared their
successes and challenges that they have experienced throughout their STEM career.
Attendees were then broken up into three groups to participate in morning workshops.
The workshop topics were ‘Introduction to Engineering Careers’, ‘Communication Skills
that Make a Difference’, and ‘Career Path Advanced Planning’. After lunch and a group
photo, the groups then participated in a variety of activities – all highlighting
the fun and significance of STEM fields.
The Renegade Event Center was abuzz throughout the day as more than 250 high schoolers
transitioned to and from activities, workshops, interactive panels and speakers. At
the end of the event, several of the attendees received prizes and awards, including
10 lucky young women who got to go home with a $100 bill!
Sara Sullivan was excited about the future for the event participants. “By increasing
awareness, representation, and mentorship, it helps build a more diverse local engineering
workforce,” she said, “It is a day dedicated to empowering girls to dream big and
not let academic challenges limit their career aspirations.”
Thank you to all the sponsors and volunteers who helped make this event possible.
We look forward to having many the attendees come to BC in the future to pursue their
dreams in STEM fields.
