PORTSMOUTH, Va. - Girls from third to 12th grade joined the She Can STEM Academy in Portsmouth on Saturday.
The fifth annual summer event focused on the fast-growing industry of digital technology. It's organized by Butterfly Village Inc.; a nonprofit aiming to empower girls and women to find success academically, socially and professionally.
Located at Tidewater Community College's Portsmouth campus, the academy highlighted YouTube content creators, digital art directors, brand strategists and game designers.
According to a release, the overall goal of the event is to expose girls to careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) in an effort to address gender disparities.
Katina Barnes, who founded the organization in 2019, says she was inspired while working at Tidewater Community College and realizing many young women weren't familiar with STEM and the careers associated with it.
“When you put your lotion on this morning, there was science in that. When you did your hair this morning, there was science in that, so science is all around us and I want them to be able to see themselves in science," said Barnes.
During the academy, the near-50 who signed up also met with representatives from companies and organizations, like Cox Communications, Dominion Energy and Old Dominion University.
