ABOUT

We are the STEMinists, a group from Irvine High who aim to generate more participation in STEM fields by promoting the involvement of marginalized populations in STEM areas and breaking the myth that STEM pathways are difficult and unattainable. Currently, there is a very low number of women and underrepresented populations who enter the STEM workforces. According to a 2021 report by Pew Research Center, only 9% of all STEM workers are African American, 8% are Hispanic, and 13% are Asian, compared to a 67% white population that make up the STEM workforce. We want to do this by creating a program in which we connect students and schools with industry members and college students (especially those who graduated from our school district), particularly who are part of the underrepresented groups as well as current college students. We would like our campaign to lessen intimidating misconceptions about STEM by establishing familiarity through relatability.

Meet the team

Raksheta Kulkarni

Project Manager

Raksheta Kulkarni is a senior at Irvine High School. Last year, she was a Graphic Designer, creating posts and flyers to advertise the events organized by the GirlsBuild team. Raksheta hopes to empower young children to pursue a career in STEM, regardless of prior experience and believes that enthusiasm is key to becoming proficient in an area of interest. In her free time, she loves to sing, draw, and play basketball.

Megha Ayyaswamy

Project Manager

Megha is a senior at Irvine High School. She and her team hope to build a safe space for people to make mistakes, learn, and be stronger together. She aims to empower minority groups to pursue STEM fields and end the discrimination in the STEM workplace. Megha is passionate about STEM and hopes to spread this love to others. In her free time, Megha enjoys dancing, playing piano, watching movies, and spending time with friends and family.

Nuha Khan

Videographer/Photographer

Nuha Khan is a senior at Irvine High School. As the Videographer and Photographer, she photographs team meetings and GirlsBuild events. Nuha hopes to spread information about STEM-related careers and promote positive views on STEM. In her free time, she enjoys reading, baking, and nature photography.

Isis Staszak

Financial

Isis Staszak is a junior at Irvine High School. She handles the money for events and fundraising for the Girl Builds Team. Isis hopes to open up opportunities for kids to pursue STEM careers and help with leading them to careers in STEM. In her free time she enjoys reading, baking, crafts of any sort, and knitting.

Mia Olea

Content Writer

Mia Olea is a senior at Irvine High school. She is in charge of sharing information about the Girls Build club to others. Mia wants to encourage students to explore STEM interests and find their passion. In her free time she likes to listen to music, read, as well as spend time with family and friends

Kevin Gong

Kevin Gong is a junior at Irvine High School. Kevin hope to get more Asian Americans into a STEM career, rather it be a standard STEM career or a more niche career. In his free time, he is either out running or building something in his garage.

Iuliana Cherevko

Iuliana is a passionate STEM enthusiast with a solid foundation in science, technology, mathematics, and engineering. She is always eager to learn and embrace new challenges. Being a leader, she strives to inspire others, motivate team members, and guide them toward achieving team and personal goals. She aims to show by example that girls can succeed in STEM by pursuing opportunities in tech and becoming engineering leads. Fluent in English, Ukrainian, and Russian. Big fan of sci-fi and fantasy literature.

Kashvi Khabrani

Social Media

Kashvi Khabrani is a junior at Irvine High School. As a social media manager, she helps promote the team and their events. She wants to spread the message that it’s okay to pursue STEM, even if you’re afraid to. In her spare time, Kashvi enjoys reading, eating, and listening to music.

Sradha Vayalapadu

Social Media

Sradha Vayalapadu is a sophomore at Irvine High School. Her job as social media manager allows her to promote GirlsBuild in a fun and exciting way encouraging students to fight stereotypes about STEM.

Robert Casu

Robert is a senior at IHS and is planning to major in Mechanical Engineering at Cal Poly Pomona. This is his first year in GirlsBuild and he enjoyed helping around at primary schools educating students about the STEM field.

Mrs. Jain

Photographer/Advisor

Archana Jain is the engineering teacher at Irvine High School. She is an aerospace engineer who advocates for more diversity in STEM careers. She mentors a variety of programs such as FIRST Robotics, StellarXplorers, Society of Women Engineers, and GirlsBuild. Outside of school, she loves spending time with family, reading, gardening, traveling, star gazing, and photography.