In a 2015 research report conducted by The American Association of University Women,
it was concluded that the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) field has
been dominated by men for centuries while women are marginalized and not recognized for their
contributions (Hill). This discrimination has been established as a result of women’s
longstanding gender roles that place women in the household to shoulder domestic
responsibilities: cleaning, cooking, and caring for children. If society has been slow in accepting
women as valuable contributors to STEM, realizing that women of LatinX heritage can equally
contribute to this field seems exceptionally challenging. A Latina woman in this line of work,
then, must overcome ethnicity in a subgroup minority of woman within a much larger group of
largely white men. According to The National Science Foundation, as of 2017 Latinas only
make-up 2% of those active in the STEM field; thus, it becomes rare to work with women
employees from LatinX heritage.
I am part of this 2%. I study Bioengineering at UC Berkeley and work in Professor Kevin
Healy’s biomaterials lab located in Stanley Hall on campus. The statistics do not surprise me as I
am the only woman in my lab and the only one from LatinX heritage. In the Healy Lab, my
research focuses on showing how endothelial cells are affected by genetically modified food

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consumption that leads to cell breakage and mutations found in cancer. Gaining this knowledge,
I hope to use it to work for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to create ethical and moral
parameters so our country may work towards cancer prevention rather than treatment with
debilitating side effects. Regarding my work atmosphere, I am fortunate not to experience
discrimination directly in the field because UC Berkeley Engineering does a wonderful job
supporting and empowering their diverse groups. I have taken part in such supportive programs
that include the society of women engineers (SWE) and the Hispanic Engineering Society
(HES), scholarly clubs with a mission to bring our cultural groups together to support each other
in a field in which we would otherwise not have as many resources.
Primarily founded to supply the needs of students who are underrepresented in STEM
work, these clubs aim to better statistics from the American Society for Engineering, which show
that of 19.9% of females awarded an engineering undergraduate bachelor’s degree across college
campuses, only 1.3% are Latina. Coming from an underrepresented background and
experiencing difficulties at Berkeley, I know STEM requires a strong foundation in math and
science achievement. In high school, I was not challenged enough in my math and science
courses, and therefore UC Berkeley requires me to learn what I should have been taught in high
school, plus new material. For most Latinas in STEM, coming into the field without the proper
skills needed to succeed has been a problem since college classes require more time. When
analyzing test scores and data, it appears that Hispanics score significantly lower on standardized
tests because too few programs support students who desire to work and contribute to STEM.
Since I am a Latina woman who hopes to make contributions, I became an active high school
member of MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science, Achievement), an engineering
competition focused on innovation for the future. With the resources I could afford, I built

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multiple devices each year and competed in UC campus competitions through California. One
experience I will always remember is my prosthetic arm. My team for the prosthetic arm
consisted of two other Latina young women. To clarify, not one of us had any coding experience,
our highest level of math was Algebra 2, and we knew no physics; however, each one of us still
used trial and error and read through countless textbooks to understand how tension and force
worked. From there the most important aspect was building the arm. The strength of growing up
Latina is that we find creative ways to make projects work with the little we have. Thus, we had
no fancy wires and Arduino boards but utilized our ability to be resourceful by keeping costs
low, which was our top priority. Our finished prosthetic arm was worth 2 dollars, and it was
made from an old sanded plank of wood, a slipper, a broken grabber, and old velcro. This arm
functioned to carry the weight of 3 bricks and worked through the reflex of the upper arm
muscles. With these capabilities, it was tested and judged based on its ability to assist our tester
on a trip at the grocery store. The arm was judged as successful, and my team and I were the first
female group from our school to bring a regional 1st place gold medal home for the best
prosthetic arm. In programs such as these and through networking, I have met and learned of
many Latina’s profound works which is where my inspiration has stemmed from.
One Latina woman who has inspired me in the STEM field is UC Berkeley Engineering
alumni Dr. Dezba Coughlin. Upon graduating from Cal, Coughlin returned to campus to ensure
her cultural group is successful in Berkeley Engineering. She has facilitated this success by
working with HES, holding resume panels, and tutoring cohorts where she hopes to train us to
eventually join her as leaders in the field. This is where I initially met Coughlin as she trained me
as a HES member. She currently runs her own lab that collaborates with the FDA on projects to
evaluate spinal cage modeling expectations, but also beyond her fascinating work, she is

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determined to motivate others. Coughlin does not believe in giving up on students, but she also
encourages that our value of education should come from us because as she says, “If your
foundation is not solid, it is like missing plates of the spine and you cannot stand firmly.” Thus,
Coughlin has worked with all age groups of young Latina girls and women and has encouraged
me to do the same so that as a community the Latina women may develop their skill sets. The
primary way she has shown this initiative is through the DaVinci Camp.
The Davinci Camp specializes in STEM foundations and is designed to specifically help
those of Hispanic heritage. Although it was originally designed by Douglas Verela, Coughlin has
created a smaller section for LatinX females. Through the DaVinci Camps, Latina women are
sponsored for programs where they come together and develop their skill sets strictly in STEM.
By attending these programs, Latina women can obtain skills that they can then utilize to seek
high academic achievement that will qualify them for significant scholarships. The idea behind
her camp is to use the work ethics of Latina women and provide them with the resources
desperately needed to succeed at high caliber institutions like UC Berkeley. Coughlin uses this
method to "train" her students, so they understand the effort required from them when
participating in the STEM field. I know this form of learning is a method that works because
during the Spring 2019 semester, I was part of Coughlin’s physics cohort where I learned the
material and how to think like an engineer. Her story on finding success as a Latina engineer is
inspiring because she not only worked to learn the knowledge but is striving to share this
knowledge so she may help build the Latina community and their role in STEM.
As I come from the same roots, I hope to make the exact same impact if not greater and
help to fix the role of Latina women in STEM. To accomplish this goal, I must go to the
foundation from which the problem stems, and that is the beginning of a child’s education. Dr.

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Dezba Coughlin inspires me to do well for the purpose of utilizing all Latinas’ ability to be
useful with current resources and then reuse them for new developments. Keeping in mind
Coughlin as my inspiration, in the future I will develop more programs through MESA
partnerships that provide children in underrepresented communities with classes offering
mentorship and reusable resources so they may create their own toys, thus inspiring children
from a young age to build. By exposing children to these skills at a younger age and supplying
them with the resources needed to succeed, the Latina community is more likely to advance in
the field due to the ripple effect which will inspire more from my Latina community to join the
field of STEM.  summarize the big ideas in 3-5 sentences. make it like a 11th grader wrote it.