Bridgewater-Raritan HS Senior Starts STEM-Focused Nonprofit To Empower Girls Worldwide

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Bridgewater-Raritan High School Senior Divyansha Nashine is breaking down barriers and stereotypes for women in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. She strongly believes all women can forge a career in STEM.

That's why she co-founded the G.I.R.L.S. Organization (Generation of Innovators, Researchers, and Leaders in STEM), a nonprofit dedicated to empowering more than 16,000 girls in 30 states and 17 countries through STEM workshops, mentorships, and career fairs.

"As a young girl interested in STEM, I really often felt isolated in classrooms where I was usually the only girl in advanced computer science or engineering groups," said Nashine to Patch. "I felt like it was really hard to stay motivated when I saw such a small number of women and girls in the field, in my classes, and I often felt like my presence just wasn't valued or noticed."

STEM has always been a passion for Nashine. Her father is an engineer, and her mother studied engineering in college.

"I've always been kind of fascinated by STEM, and I got involved in STEM at a pretty young age," said Nashine.

She started robotics at 10 years old.

While she was aware of the major gender gap in the STEM field, she felt as though female participation and STEM resources were lacking, not just within New Jersey, but also in marginalized communities.

"I feel like that lack of support made it difficult to picture myself thriving within those spaces. So I kind of wanted to just create an environment where I could see other girls leading and excelling without facing the constant struggle of being the only one," said Nashine.

That's when Nashine, along with Christine Hu, Nandini Kuppachi, Nikita Sirandasu, and Anika Seshan, got together to create the nonprofit. It began first within the Bridgewater-Raritan school district.

Using her position as President of both Women in STEM and Girls Who Code at B-R, Nashine gained support to expand to other schools in the state and then internationally to different countries.

"After traveling to India, I saw that there was a need for physical resources and more physical help where we could actually teach students," said Nashine.

Since then she has been able to send materials and raise funds to help female students in India.

In addition, Nashine is the author of three books on web development and programming, where she has distributed more than 15,000 copies.

Through her work with The STEM Spectrum, The Girlhood Magazine, and more, she has curated more than 1,000 internship opportunities for more than 14,000 students across 102 countries.

Nashine is hoping to raise awareness of the G.I.R.L.S. Organization and its mission to create opportunities for underrepresented girls in STEM. She also plans to continue the organization post-graduation, aiming to secure mentorship programs and fundraising for education.

To learn more about the G.I.R.L.S. Organization, visit inspiregirls.net or instagram.com/coins_for_futures.

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