I see real progress in the generation of young people making their career path choices right now. These programs haven’t been around that long, but the identification of the endemic problem has been common knowledge for decades — decades when there’s been lots of talk but little substantive action. Like so many of the wrongs in our culture — from climate to bullying, to gender and race marginalization, to guns and more — this up and coming generation is different. They’re sick and tired of the talk-talk-talk that something has to change, but then never does. Young people today don’t believe the problems are too big. They are making themselves engines of change.

My son, at 15, has chosen his path (medicine), but remains steeped in STEM studies — he’s actually in a magnate high school that specializes in STEM and Health Sciences. In STEM fields, the real progress is in changing the minds of the young men who will work side by side with the up and coming young women entering STEM studies. I’m seeing and hearing their attitudes are much more open than young men of my generation (I’m a 56-year old geezer mom) or even my nieces and nephew’s generation.

As an anecdotal example, my son and one of his schoolmates put together a game engine developer club at school (FYI: my son is a bit of a developer phenom and is a Microsoft approved Xbox developer). He and his school friend expected 10 or 15 people to sign up for their club; over 80 students signed up – leaving them with the daunting task of culling those numbers by at least two thirds because they can only run two periods for the clubs and 40+ memebers per period is unmanageable by just the two of them. Among those eighty, they were thrilled to see a small handful of young women who are stellar STEM students. So… my son and his friend designed their limiting system around the qualifications of these young women. I heard my son discussing all this with his friend online and their circle of fellow developer enthusiasts (who range from around the world); they both said there was no way they were losing these young women from their founding membership — and their mostly male circle all applauded enthusiastically.

There are broader examples of a cultural shift in the hearts and minds of kids coming of age. Malala, Sofie Cruz, Jazz Jennings, Bana al-Abed, Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, Greta Thunberg, Mari Copeny, Easton LaChappelle, Boyan Slat, the Parkland students, and so many more… Before these kids could even vote, they were already reshaping the world — they’re still showing us how it’s done. These kids are already carving leadership roles for themselves in the world and creating foundational change across the cultural spectrum (especially among their peers, the next generation of our culture), including opportunities for gender equity in STEM fields.