There is a significant scarcity of Black women in most STEM-related fields. Diana Wilson wants to put an end to this.
Funding Tomorrow’s Big Thinkers
Yielding Accomplished African Women (Yaa W) is her way of doing it. This is a nonprofit that seeks out and offers backing to women in college who are pursuing finance or tech.
Wilson is currently raising $1 million in funds to help these women with the tools they need to reach their career goals.
This ranges from mathematics to food science, space exploration, engineering, and more.
Wilson is also forming a faction that will encourage young women to pursue STEM and become its future leaders.
It refers to itself as a global women development skills center, and it promises women training along with the opportunity of working with a Fortune 500 company.
STEM is Growing Rapidly
Wilson’s support is coming at a crucial moment. STEM fields have become increasingly lucrative. According to predictions, they will experience the biggest growth in job opportunities between now and 2030.
Statistics show that the STEM workforce has grown rapidly in the past few decades. However, women in STEM only represent 28% of the workforce. For minorities, it’s even worse: 7% of this number comprises Black women, while 6% is Hispanic/Latinx.
The analysis also shows that when it comes to the STEM workforce, the representation fluctuates from one field to another. In health-related jobs, for instance, women are overrepresented. However, when it comes to engineering and computing jobs, they are severely underrepresented.
Funding a Smarter Future
Wilson’s group has, in just 3 years, trained more than 700 young African women. This has contributed to her social media following exploding in size. Yaa W has also earned the respect of some of the top companies in STEM, including IBM, MTN, Bank of America, the Corporate Finance Institute, and Google.
Yaa W works with women from all over the world, including Africa and the U.S. This is not enough for Wilson, though, and it shouldn’t be. Her goal is to increase the number of women she has helped to 30,000 by 2030.
