This article was penned by CAPIS

Making a difference in young lives is important to CAPIS.

That’s part of The CAPIS Difference. And we are proud to be a sponsor of this year’s STEAM Challenge, an event designed to develop and teach concepts in science, technology, engineering and math through interactive activities, encouraging competition and community awareness.  

The Young Women’s Preparatory Network’s (YWPN) mission is to support single-gender, college preparatory, public education in Texas and beyond. According to the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, girls tend to drop out of the STEAM academic pipeline earlier than boys, with many losing interest in these subjects during middle school and high school. YWPN gives young women the academic and leadership skills to achieve success in college and in life. The program’s success is striking: 100% of its students who graduate from high school are accepted at a college or university.

“Getting more girls interested in [STEAM] requires deliberate strategies to connect learning with ‘real-life’ experiences. We have to give our girls the opportunity to engage in authentic, real-world learning experiences, as well as providing a strong [STEAM] focus within the school classroom. In addition, we know from watching the success of our alumnae that experiences outside of the classroom build the confidence necessary to increase college persistence,” YWPN’s website cites.

On February 10th, CAPIS is sponsoring the YWPN Virtual STEAM Challenge Sponsor Party which leads an exciting showcase of the brilliance of young women. The event will be hosted by CAPIS’ own Coleen Donohue and Rachel Clark, beginning at 5:00pm CST. 

“YWPN is teaching girls to be engaged in their communities and solve problems. I was honored to judge the STEM competition in which students find a mentor in the field and, as a team, explore workable solutions for big problems such as homelessness and human trafficking,”  CAPIS Client Service Specialist Rachel Clark said. “YWPN is preparing these girls to be leaders — people who see a problem and jump in and ask, ‘What can I do to help?’ It’s wonderful and inspiring to support these young women.”

To attend this year’s YWPN Virtual STEAM Challenge Sponsor Party, register here.