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Follow on Google News | Preteen Girls Express Career Goals That Rely on Math and ScienceWho says girls can’t do math? Interviews with preteens show most girls aim for careers that rely on math, science, or both fields. Girls also set goals in terms of not one, but multiple occupations. Pretty Brainy, Inc., is leading the interviews.
“I want to be a veterinarian and write a novel,” a 9-year-old wrote. Another 10-year-old said, “I want to make a store that sells bugs and shows how nature is a lot more interesting than you think.” These and additional statements show that girls picture themselves in careers that embrace math and science — fields in which they traditionally have been discouraged, says Heidi Olinger, chief executive officer, Pretty Brainy, Inc. “Girls are as naturally inclined toward math and science as they are in ‘softer’ studies, such as language and literature,” Olinger advises parents and teachers to note the career declarations girls make before they reach age 11, when, by contrast, their self-confidence and –esteem begin to shrink. “Before a girl enters the hurricane of adolescence and self-doubt, her vision for her life is rooted in self-confidence.” Olinger first noticed girls expressing their career aspirations in terms of multiple, combined occupations nearly 10 years ago. In 2009 she began to record what they say. One of her favorite statements comes from a 6-year-old who said, “I want to be a cowgirl-astronaut- The interviews with girls are part of Olinger’s responsibility, as she sees it, in designing preteen clothing and accessories. Under the brand name Pretty Brainy, the designs incorporate math problem-solving and biographies of accomplished women to capitalize on girls’ energy and interests during their preteen years. Olinger calls what she creates “smart fashion for smart girls.” A former educator who, in 2008, received the Boettcher Foundation’s Teacher Recognition Award, Olinger, in wanting to emphasize the fun and enjoyment in learning, positions the graphic print on her girls’ printed tees like “crib sheets,” or academic notes that face a girl when she’s wearing Pretty Brainy. Girls that Olinger and an intern at Pretty Brainy have interviewed range in age from 6 to 11 years old. Live conversations with girls have taken place in person and by telephone. Olinger also asks groups of girls to anonymously write down their response to the following prompt, “When I grow up, this is what I want to do.” The prompt is designed to allow girls to express goals in addition to career aspirations. One 7-year-old told Olinger, “I want to be a vet and go to Paris.” A 9-year-old from Loveland, Colorado, wrote, “I want to do sculpting and be a small business owner.” “Approximately 77 percent of girls we have interviewed express goals that will require the study of math, science or both,” says Olinger. “And though it is a myth that ‘girls can’t do math,’ old stereotypes slowly die.” This is why, she explains, Pretty Brainy has designed math problem-solving into its first product on the market, girls’ printed tees. The idea is to keep a girl’s confidence about doing math literally front and center on the shirt she wears. Olinger first had the idea for the girls’ printed tees as a way to help a young niece maintain her self-confidence and aspirations through adolescence. Olinger had a hunch that her niece would stay confident and maintain interest in her goals if she remained engaged in the math and science studies she would need. Fouad’s research supports the point. When girls feel confident that they can do math and science, it fuels their interest in the subjects, says Fouad. “And confidence comes in the doing,” says Olinger, quoting famous first lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Girls who do not learn math, says Carol Bartz, chief executive officer, Yahoo, “are closing [themselves] “Why wouldn’t we want our children to achieve their greatest goals?” Olinger rhetorically asks. “Why wouldn’t we want them to do and be their very best?” Role models, including Bartz, have emerged, and the support of the NSF, for example, in uncovering what educationally must take place for girls to succeed at math and science is significant. To do the right thing in helping girls succeed, the combination of efforts must continue, says Olinger. Thirty years ago, females made up 5 percent of the student body at Colorado School of Mines, for example. The number of female undergraduates is now 5 times what it was in the 1980s, and if more girls realize the career aspirations they are declaring today, in time the ratio of males to females in STEM disciplines may achieve near balance. “Pretty Brainy will continue to interview girls about their aspirations,” Pretty Brainy will keep designing preteen girls’ clothes with this vision: girls will succeed. Incorporated in 2008 and based in Fort Collins, Colorado, Pretty Brainy is online at http://prettybrainy.com. The site includes an online girls’ clothing boutique of ’tween fashion, resources for parents on raising a ’tween daughter, and “stuff for smart girls,” including a short list of good books for ’tweens. Pretty Brainy, Inc., entered commerce in December 2008 with this mission: to raise the expectations and perception of what girls are capable of in the world. In August 2009, Total Elegance Boutique (http://tebcasper.com), a family-owned business in Casper, Wyoming, became the first retailer in the United States to carry the brand. The Main Street U.S.A. business Lyon’s Corner Drug in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, became the first retailer in Pretty Brainy’s home state to carry the line. # # # About Pretty Brainy, Inc.: Incorporated in October 2008, Pretty Brainy designs products expressly for smart, active girls 7 to 14 years old. Our mission: to raise the perception and expectations of what girls are capable of. This encompasses girls' expectations of themselves and the world's expectations of girls. Our medium: 'tween fashion. Our inspiration: Our 'tween girls' website, http://prettybrainy.com, presents a girls' clothing boutique, resources for parents on raising a 'tween daughter, and "stuff for smart girls," including recommended activities, a short list of good books for 'tweens, and posts by our 'tween blogger, Gianna. For smart girls of all ages, Pretty Brainy creates women's sizes, too. In building a brand that respects smart girls and grown-ups, Pretty Brainy works from this ideology: "Respect Others, Respect the Earth, Respect Yourself," and we strive to select vendors based on their practice of corporate social responsibility. End
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