Women in STEM (WiSTEM)
L.A.’s Women in STEM initiative promotes gender diversity and pay equity for women in STEM positions from entry-level to leadership through mentorship, networking, and community building programs for girls and women pursuing STEM careers.
Empowering the next generation of women to lead L.A.’s STEM economy.
Women have been chronically and historically underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields. Los Angeles is home to one of the world’s fastest-growing and most dynamic tech and engineering sectors, and L.A.’s WiSTEM program was created to ensure that women are equitably included in these promising industries.
WiSTEM launched as a project of the EY Entrepreneurs in Residence to build a network of support for women and girls at every stage of their STEM studies and careers through the following program components:
Mentorships: Matching undergraduate and graduate students studying STEM disciplines to industry professionals for one-year mentorships to guide career development.
Educational Programming and Site Visits: Introducing middle and high school girls to careers at the region’s leading STEM companies with on-site tours, demos, and panel discussions.
Professional Networking Events: Featuring facilitated conversations on achieving pay equity and increasing female representation on boards and in positions of leadership.
The program encourages women not just to enter, but to persist long-term in STEM careers, and WiSTEM aims to achieve this by empowering women every step of the way.
Learn more at the WiSTEM L.A. website: https://www.lamayor.org/wistem-la
Key Impact
130 mentor/mentee partnerships
47 graduating high school senior girls received a $250 scholarship
Issue Area
Partners
WiSTEM LA Advisory Board
EY Entrepreneurs in Residence
Kaiser Permanente
Union Bank
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