# Seeds of Success: Empowering Girls in STEM Through Mentoring, Access, and Leadership

> **NIH NIH R25** · YALE UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $259,888

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT
Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) degrees provide access to rewarding, highly remunerated
careers, and the opportunity to contribute solutions to society’s problems. Unfortunately, Latinas and African
American women comprise less than 4% of the current STEM workforce. Gender stereotypes and a lack of
relatable role models, mentors, and early exposure to STEM have been suggested to deter middle school girls
away from STEM interests. This project will examine the effect of Seeds of Success, an out-of-school intervention
designed to inspire girls to consider careers in STEM by countering gender and race stereotypes through
relatable role models; promoting STEM self-efficacy through STEM workshops and activities; and encouraging
alignment between cultural and STEM identities through community-based STEM projects. A total of 160 girls in
grades 7-9 will be recruited every year to participate in mirror programs in Puerto Rico and New Haven, CT, two
populations with high percentages of underrepresented and underserved students. Girls will receive mentoring
from female STEM professionals from similar racial and ethnic backgrounds and will interact via webinars with
additional diverse STEM role models to learn more about STEM careers. In addition, girls will be exposed to
engineering, life sciences, and computer science concepts through online and in-person activities and workshops
that promote critical thinking. Finally, girls will be empowered to undertake STEM Ambassadors projects that
allow them to have an impact on their community through science. We hypothesize that the program will promote
gains in STEM interest, self-efficacy and identity—potentially benefiting future career decisions. Effect will be
measured with surveys administered before and after the program to participants and a control group. Longer-
term follow-up surveys will track sustained impacts on high school graduation, college entrance, and choice of
major. In addition to the 800 girls that the program will impact directly, at least 20,000 additional students and
members of the community will be impacted through the STEM Ambassadors projects and the female STEM
role model webinars that will be shared live and on Youtube. Thus, by implementing these culturally-relevant,
asset-based STEM engagement strategies, Seeds of Success will improve the STEM outcomes of girls in high-
need communities and retain the diverse talent we need in the 21st century.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10449796
- **Project number:** 1R25GM146264-01
- **Recipient organization:** YALE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Giovanna Guerrero-Medina
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $259,888
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-01 → 2027-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10449796

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10449796, Seeds of Success: Empowering Girls in STEM Through Mentoring, Access, and Leadership (1R25GM146264-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10449796. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*