Editorial: STEM successes offer inspiration for young women

Women have made great strides in the fields of education, law and medicine in the past half century, but not nearly as much in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math.

But that's changing, thanks in large part to people becoming aware of the societal pressures that traditionally have kept girls from pursuing such fields and efforts to encourage them to do so.

A program administered by the office of Congressman Randy Hultgren is one important source of inspiration.

Nineteen high school students were chosen for the program aimed at fostering the pursuit of so-called STEM careers. The class comprises 10 women and nine men.

They were taken on weekly tours of businesses that focus on such things as robotics, computer programming and high-tech manufacturing.

Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti made a pitch for the scholars to pursue their careers in Illinois, where are 1,800 foreign-based companies and 37 Fortune 500 corporations are headquartered.

On Monday, that group was treated to a panel discussion with six heavy hitters in the local STEM milieu, all of them women.

They carried strong messages for the young women in the group, according to our Jim Fuller, who covered the discussion. But a message that also should resonate with men.

• Don't let the men in your life decide your future.

Aneesa Muthana, president and owner of Pioneer Service Inc., a manufacturing company based in Addison, left a lucrative position at her dad's company to start her own.

"As girls, we sometimes tend to be in their shadows," she said. "I was not going to have that."

• Don't be a victim.

Rose of Sharon Devos, who leads business development at Pioneer, said she was warned that many men in the manufacturing field don't respect female leaders and can be, well, jerks.

"I'm not easily offended," she said. "And not being easily offended is one of the things that has allowed me to succeed. People can really be jerks. Let them be what they are. Don't let that stop you from moving on. Don't be a victim."

• Lead well.

Muthana said that even in fields still dominated by men, the old biases against women in leadership positions are beginning to fall away. "Workers, they don't look at you as a woman or a male now," she said. "It's not men versus women. We are on the same team. Men are so used to dominating the industry. But it's not like that anymore. They will see your passion. Lead well. People will follow."

What inspiring advice for all of our daughters, sisters, wives, mothers, grandmothers and aunts.