IRVING, Texas — March 1 not only marked the beginning of Women’s History Month, but it was also Texas Girls in STEM Day.

What You Need To Know

  • To celebrate Texas Girls in STEM Day, a group of high school students exchanged their high school classes for a trip to Microsoft’s campus in Las Colinas in Irving, Texas

  • Helping young women like Victoria break into the STEM field is why state Rep. Rhetta Andrews Bowers helped create the Texas Girls In STEM Day through legislation that was passed in 2019

  • A 2023 report by MIT found that women only make up 28% of the STEM workforce

  • Texas is the only state in the nation with a day designated for girls in STEM, but Bowers hopes Texans will celebrate girls in STEM every day, not just March 1

To celebrate the day, a group of high school students exchanged their high school classes for a trip to Microsoft’s campus in Las Colinas in Irving, Texas.

“Just knowing that they are there, (they) recognize us, makes me feel more excited and ready to be in STEM,” said Victoria, a sophomore at Crowley High School.

She said learning about the different careers in STEM encourages her to pursue one.

“I want to be in STEM, but like you hear about all the struggles (of) STEM, like the work and how hard it is, and I feel like if I can get through that, I’m ready to be a girl in STEM,” she says.

Helping young women like Victoria break into the STEM field is why state Rep. Rhetta Andrews Bowers helped create Texas Girls In STEM Day through legislation that was passed in 2019. Bowers represents state House District 113, which includes parts of Rowlett, Garland and Mesquite.

“One of the things that the legislation was supposed to do was to create an environment that exposed girls to what’s out there and what they can do and to encourage them to consider a career in STEM fields — in science, technology, engineering and math — to empower them and let them know that it’s possible,” Bowers said.

According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), there are more men in the STEM workforce. A 2023 report by MIT found that women only make up 28% of the STEM workforce.

 Bowers believes young women who learn the different subjects that make up STEM early can help bridge this gap.

“Knowing that by working in these fields that they would close the gender pay gap as well and knowing that they could aspire to greater,” Bowers said.

Texas is the only state in the nation with a day designated for girls in STEM, but Bowers hopes Texans will celebrate girls in STEM every day, not just March 1.

“It has no limits. It’s not a holiday for the next day 10 years. It’s a state holiday forever and forevermore,” said Bowers.