Students who are Black and Hispanic lack role models in STEM. According to a 2018 Pew Research Center report, Black workers made up just 9% of the STEM professional workforce, while Hispanics made up just 7%.  Women also represent a small number of STEM professionals, making up only about 15% of the engineering workforce in 2019, according to the U.S. Census. 

To help fill the STEM gender and racial gap, the company Frito-Lay has created a “Space for Her” scholarship that will send 50 girls from underrepresented groups to space camp over the next five years, according to AdWeek. Girls selected for the program will also participate in a mentorship program to keep them interested in STEM and steer them into future STEM careers. 

“A recent study shows that most girls become interested in STEM around the age of 11, but their interest starts to wane by the age of 15,” stated the company in a press release. “That’s why, as a part of the Space for Her scholarship, Frito-Lay Variety Packs will include scholarship winners in a “Space for Her-os” mentorship program, which will offer coaching and guidance on different career paths in the science and tech sector.”

Among the program’s mentors are Blue Origin engine development engineer Michelle Christensen and Joyce Hirai, a flight controller in operations planning at NASA’s Johnson Space. Other mentors include:

  • Beth Mund, Space Communication Evangelist
  • Elizabeth Bierman, Vice President of Engineering at Comcast and former President of the Society of Women Engineers
  • Kellie Gerardi, Bioastronautics Researcher and Explorers Club Board Member
  • Megan Olson, Supply Chain Senior Engineer at Frito-Lay

The company partnered with the National Urban League and UnidosUS to pick the inaugural class of girls for the first year of the scholarship. Learn more about the scholarship and how to apply.

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