The Innovate(her) program at the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Texas at Dallas is the winner in the educational institution category for the 2019 Tech Titan Awards. Category winners will be announced at an awards event on Friday, Aug. 23. For more information about the awards event, click here.
The Innovate(her) program at the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Texas at Dallas is a free one-day program for middle school girls to learn about STEM-related topics such as technology and finance.
The conference, in partnership with Capital One, offers workbooks to Dallas-Fort Worth area girls on design thinking, building confidence, personal finance and entrepreneurship. Girls participate in hands-on activities and interactive projects led by Capital One corporate professionals, women entrepreneurs and UTD students.
“Entrepreneurship is the overarching theme of Innovate(her), working with each girl to introduce the skills and impart the motivation best preparing them for a more successful future,” according to the website.
Denyse Carpio, the academic support coordinator for the Innovate(her) program, sat on the committee that launched the one-day mentorship initiative in 2018, though a similar program had existed prior. Carpio said the program provides the girls with examples of women in the field to help give them confidence and abolish stereotypes of STEM being difficult or boring.
Why was it a priority for UTD to host Innovate(her)?
We believe that Innovate(her) helps build a diversity pipeline for future entrepreneurs. We encourage students to think about success in different ways and teach them essential entrepreneurial skills to help them get there. Our goal is to encourage more girls to participate in STEM and entrepreneurial programs, as well as instill in them a passion for higher education and STEM careers. Innovate(her) supports many facets of President Benson’s strategic plan.
What's your favorite part of the program?
As Innovate(her)’s #1 fan and loudest cheerleader, I have a hard time identifying ONE part as my favorite. Since I have to truncate my response, my favorite aspect of Innovate(her) is how – thanks to Capital One’s sponsorship and participation, we have been able to expand the scope of the program to include under-resourced schools from throughout DFW, not just those schools adjacent to UT Dallas.
Why is it important for young women to participate in programs like this?
The goal of Innovate (her) is to address a very real diversity problem in technology and entrepreneurship. Recent reports show that less than 3 percent of venture capital-funded companies have female CEOs and that female founders make up only 17 percent of technology start-ups in the U.S. Similarly, the number of women in STEM fields is really low. For example, only 11 percent of female engineering graduates are practicing engineers, and only 25 percent of all computing jobs are held by women. The Senate’s small business report noted that 62 percent of high school girls who are mentored in technology are likely to choose it for a major in college.
