A group of girls surround small, robotic cars while cheering for their chosen vehicle. In the room next door, a sixth-grader places a virtual reality headset on and is soon immersed in the video game, focusing on it despite the announcement lunch is being served.
It's a scene that makes Lynda Spofford, the local digital coordinator for Microsoft, proud.
"There's a dramatic drop off in girls continuing education in STEM," she said. "It's an alarming drop off, typically after middle school. So our hope is, by creating an exciting day and creating a spark, this will show them amazing opportunities in STEM."
Middle school girls from three local schools with STEM magnet programs came to the Tampa Bay Microsoft office as part of DigiGirlz Day, an initiative through Microsoft to encourage girls to pursue STEM classes in high school, college and ultimately consider the career field.
Officials from top-tech companies like Jabil, Nielsen and of course, Microsoft came together for a panel while the girls munched on lunch to discuss some of the challenges and triumphs they've been through in the industry.
"When you're the only girl with your pink shoes, it's fun because you put on your boss hat and say, 'Guys, listen to me,'" Marianela Ramsdell, a senior solutions architect for Nielsen’s Technology Organization, said. "Because you’re not here to bring the coffee."
Trina Wilson, a sales director at Microsoft, also urged the young girls to focus more on the knowledge they can gain versus how they compare to their counterparts.
"I leaned very quickly I was in a very male dominated field," she said. "But what I learned and where I had to go in terms of my mindset is to always be prepared. If you know your stuff, it doesn’t matter what gender you are. You can contribute and be heard."
But it's the constant change in environment while creating tangible products that make each day worth waking up for, the panelists said.
"I love the win and the product," Ande Jonson, senior director of the Digital Workplace at Jabil, said. "The best thing in tech is we’re constantly innovating, it's constantly new and there's always something new and exciting to do. It's a special breed of people — we’re a little quirky and it's really fun. There's always chance to come hustle and come back, prepare and that's one of my favorite things about working in tech."
