On February 10th, we hosted a virtual field trip and Q&A session with Ignite Worldwide, a global nonprofit that has supported the STEM education of over 80,000 girls and non-binary youth from underserved communities.
Sixteen high school students from Eastlake High School in Seattle attended the event, which kicked off with a presentation of Afiniti’s work and a virtual tour of Afiniti’s international offices through photos and stories.
Some of us then shared personal stories of our career paths leading to Afiniti. This was followed by a Q&A session where the students learned more about our careers and backgrounds, and what life is like at a technology company. They asked many thoughtful questions, even more than time allowed to answer.
The final part of the event was a breakout session where we went through interactive AI exercises to further explain how machine learning works, including beating Afiniti’s AI at rock paper scissors!
We were thrilled to learn that after attending this event, 100% of the students indicated they were interested in STEM based on a survey by Ignite Worldwide. One student reflected: “The women at Afiniti really empowered me to believe that I do have a place in STEM and I can do whatever I want to do. I loved hearing their opinions and stories and they inspired me to pursue STEM even more.”
It has been a privilege to be part of this meaningful cause. Kudos to my colleagues Lindsay Hua, Holly Jones, Priya Sangameswaran, Rida Shah, and Caroline Mehta for making this a success.
We look forward to participating in future opportunities to reach out to those who can benefit from our stories and knowledge.
by Caroline Dollman, Director of Business Development & Events
