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Unread 13-04-2008, 19:47
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Stephi Rae Stephi Rae is offline
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AKA: Stephanie Morrison
FRC #5803 (Apex Robotics)
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Join Date: Jan 2007
Rookie Year: 2007
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 172
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Re: Q&A Discuss: Girls on Teams

Last year (our first year) we had 18 team members and 3 were girls. Two sort of fell into the stereotype, one more than the other. One pretty much did the awards entries, one was a mascot and scout. I didn't really want to do the paperwork and volunteered for electrical. I ended up learning inventor, building the electrical panel, riveting (not pop rivets, real rivets) our ramp, vice president, and ended up as one of the team leaders. I started off kind of shy, not really sure how to be a real leader on the team, but I feel like I have grown so much!

As a senior now, we have about 30 students on the team, and still only 3 girls (we lost one due to the time commitment and gained one new one). One is still the mascot, but does a great job and really enjoys it and tries to help out as much as she can in the shop. The new one started to follow the stereotype and did the photography and posters, but we got her to do the majority of the soldering, and I expect her to help with electrical some next year. I started to take some more leadership, as well as taking on some of the writing things. I felt that I shouldn't be afraid of fallng into this "stereotype", because a leader would help with the writing, and that's what I wanted to do. I wrote our business plan for my senior project for school and have worked with a lot of the younger students to make sure that they are ready to become leaders as this year is the first time we will be graduating any students. I taught a freshman the electronics (I actually found a useful freshman! ), I was the first to learn how to work our new mill, I worked very hard on our Chairman's award presentation, I served as a part of the pit crew and drive team (robocoach/field checklist person) as well as working on some fundraising, a small amount of scouting work, and a few other things as well.

Two of the girls on our team are seniors. We want more girls on our team, but our school is already about 70% male or more becuase we are a math/science/technology/aviation school and girls just don't seem as interested. We are trying to solve this problem on both the level of the school, and the team. I shy away from going up to girls and saying "just becuase you are a girl doesn't mean you can't do math and science" because if someone said that to me, I would just think they are crazy.

Deep down I think that many of us just abide by the stereotypes but deny that they are there on the outside. It's become a silent stereotype. Nobody walks around saying "you can't do that because you're a girl" anymore, but it's still there. Maybe an attitude, and it could be partially the girls' fault to. I don't know what can be done about it, but it is still there. And I wish it weren't.

It doesn't affect me or what I do, but I see it affect the girls around me. Even the other two on my team. I've talked to them about it, but I don't know how to make them understand. If you go right out and say it, to anyone, they'll just become defensive and you won't accomplish anything. It's a problem.
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~Stephanie Morrison (Hoag)~
Student - Team 1983 (2007-2008)
Mentor - Team 190 (2009-2012)
Mentor - Team 1983 (2013-2014)
Mentor - Team 1318 (2015)
Coach - Apex Robotics 5803 (2016-Present)

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