About us
Background
Only 2 percent of Latinas held science and engineering positions in 2015, as reported by the National Science Foundation. According to a report from the National Center for Women and Information Technology, Latinas made up only 1 percent of the computing workforce in 2017. These figures are low due to various factors such as lack of confidence in STEM, lack of role models, lack of support, and lack of STEM experience amongst Latinas.
Who we are
Our community based organization, LUS (Latinas United in STEM), will engage young Latinas, 7th - 12th grade, from rural towns in North Central Washington by providing mentorship, access and connection to STEM programs, peer support, and college advising.
Purpose
Our mission is to motivate and support underrepresented Latinas from rural towns in NCW to develop and increase their STEM confidence to pursue STEM and success in college. We serve Latina students from 7th-12th grades from rural towns in NCW and their families. We will begin efforts with Chelan and Manson school districts.
Founder
Kailani Cruz
Kailani is a high school junior in Washington State who has participated in various STEM programs and noticed that many Latinas weren’t involved. This inspired her to create LUS (Latinas United in STEM), to inspire Latinas from rural towns to pursue STEM in college and as a career choice.
In her free time, Kailani enjoys playing volleyball, playing the violin, and listening to music.
In college, Kailani would like to study computer science and ocean engineering.