Prior to high school, Rida Bayraktar says she had no interest in STEM fields. Turns out that wasn’t because she didn't like it. At the time, she thought it was for men and hadn't had any exposure to the subjects. But with exposure came a passion for STEM – a passion she’s now helping other girls discover.
Driven by her own experiences, Bayraktar, a current UNC-Chapel Hill junior, founded Pink STREAM while in high school to educate and empower young women in STREAM fields (science, technology, robotics, engineering, arts and math). Pink STREAM provides free workshops and classes to young girls in grades three through 10 on a variety of topics including 3D printing, app design and electronics.
Bayraktar, who grew up in Turkey, was the only girl when she joined her Cary high school’s robotics team after moving to North Carolina. She says other girls joined the team but were discouraged by the male-dominated space and stopped coming.
“When I looked into it, I realized that in my childhood, I didn't have any toys, games, any type of education around STEM concepts whereas boys, they played with Legos, they played with robots, they played with cars, they played with rockets like all these kinds of STEM concepts, they are raised with it,” she says.
Bayraktar believes it would be a game-changer if girls were exposed to the topics at an early age so they would feel more confident stepping into STREAM fields. And that’s what she’s doing.
Since launching in 2018, Bayraktar says Pink STREAM has reached over 950 young women, with more than half of them coming from historically underrepresented groups. She has invested over 130 hours teaching, and has enlisted a small team of volunteers to assist with teaching as well.
In total, Pink STREAM has received $30,000 in grants and donations. Pink STREAM was awarded a $10,000 Davis Projects for Peace grant this year, which will allow Bayraktar to purchase 10 to15 laptops to make classes more accessible to students who do not have their own technology to bring.
Bio
Age: 20
Birthplace: Lansing, Michigan
Education: majoring in computer science, UNC-Chapel Hill Class of 2023
What was your first job? CEO of Pink STREAM.
How do you destress? I love doing a lot of art. I also built a workshop in my garage because I like engineering things. I disassembled our dishwasher and put it together.
What advice would you give to a new entrepreneur? Take any opportunity. Rather than be passive, be active. Even if you're thinking it won't happen and it's not logical at all, just jump in and follow your passion.