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Breaking the Code: Trailblazers in STEM
Stories of powerful women in science and technology
Through this speaker series, we aim to increase accessibility to role models for young girls interested in a STEM career. Hearing from professionals in these fields will allow students to get a glimpse into what their future career path may look like, and gain advice on how to best pursue their interests. Recordings of interviews are posted on YouTube and our website, and transcripts are available on our site. 10 of the transcripts were compiled into an 80+ page book, available on Amazon.
Breaking the Code with Shreya Srivathsan
Shreya Srivathsan is a student at the University of Michigan from Dallas studying political science and interdisciplinary astronomy with a potential minor in public policy. She is an active member of the Michigan Debate Team, the outreach chair for the Student Astronomical Society, and the policy lead for the Space Generation Advisory Council. Shreya is also a Running Start Congressional fellow and enjoys serving her community as an election inspector. She is driven by her passion for political correspondence, campaign strategizing, and the intersection of space law/policy with Intellectual Property. Shreya's current obsessions have been cooking and hiking when she's not studying for Calc or the LSAT.
Breaking the Code with Valeria Jara
Valeria Jara is a software engineer from Peru currently working as a back-end Ruby developer at a startup based in New York City, seeking creative solutions with tech. Jara majored in computer science and minored in mathematics, with experience in authentication. She is also active on social media, sharing her own experiences and tips for aspiring programmers.
Breaking the Code with Eloisa Carrasco
Eloisa Carrasco is a rising senior studying electrical engineering at the University of Minnesota. She is interested in robotics and the applications of electrical engineering in the field. In the past, she was part of a FIRST Tech Challenge Robotics team during middle and high school and has continued that involvement as a mentor for Burnsville Robotics. Carrasco is also a research associate at NASA Langley Research Center, as well as the president of the IEEE student chapter at the University of Minnesota.
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Breaking the Code with Fatou Thiam
Fatou Thiam, a senior programmer analyst at McHenry County College. She also works at Girls Who Code as a Self Paced Program Advisor. She previously worked in Paris as an IT project manager and business analyst. She holds a computer science degree from the University of Orsay in France and studied web development at Northwestern.
Breaking the Code with Sakina Kanji
Sakina Kanji is an University of Chicago student studying data science. She’s involved with the data team for the To and Through Project to increase high school graduation rates in Chicago. She is passionate about using data for social good. In her free time, she enjoys rock climbing and reading fiction!
Breaking the Code with Shivani Srikanth
Shivani Srikanth is a rising junior at Harvard studying the intersection of bioengineering, public policy, and environmental science. She has experience in both sustainable materials fabrication/design research and qualitative sociological research, and she was a recipient of the Coca-Cola scholarship in 2022. She was also a board member of the Harvard Engineering Society and is the co-president of the Harvard Undergraduate Clean Energy Group, where she’s involved in multiple projects focused on the clean energy sector.
Breaking the Code with Ebere Oyekwe
Ebere Oyekwe is a data-driven professional with 10 years of experience spanning analytics and engineering roles. She’s the founder of Tekdlin, a startup that specializes in AI-related consultancy, and she also leads the Konnect Networking Event, a platform that connects technology professionals. She uses her social media platform, maintaining over 90k followers on Instagram, to educate her audience on data analytics and AI.
Breaking the Code with Roselin Rosario
Roselin Rosario-Meléndez is a leader in innovation with a PhD in organic/polymer chemistry from Rutgers University. Her doctoral work focused on making and formulating polymeric drugs in order to minimize the harmful side effects and prolong the usage period for analgesic drugs. Following, she worked as a cosmetic chemist, holding 37 patents and contributing to the invention of extreme wear lipsticks. Roselin currently works in the medical device industry. As an #ifthenshecan ambassador, Dr. Rosario is celebrated as a trailblazing innovator in STEM. She champions a diverse and inclusive workspace, empowering middle-school girls to become the next generation of inventors. On social media, she highlights both her own endeavors and the work of prominent women in STEM with the goal of inspiring young girls to pursue careers in science.
Breaking the Code with Sonia Nicoletti
Sonia Nicoletti is currently pursuing her master’s in computer science. She has a degree in Computer Science for Management from the University of Bologna and is active on social media, sharing programming information with her audience.
Breaking the Code with Michaela Musilova
Dr. Michaela Musilova is a prominent astrobiologist who has conducted research across a wide range of international institutions, including NASA, ESA, CalTech, University College London, Chiba University (Japan), Canada-France-Hawaii telescope, and many others. Musilova holds the record for the most simulated missions to the Moon and Mars, having commandeered over 30 operations. She is currently a global faculty member at the International Space University, as well as the President and Founder of the non-profit XtremeFrontiers. In partnership with NASA, she coordinated the Astro Seven Summits, which combine expeditions to the highest mountain on each of the seven continents with scientific and educational research. Musilova has received global recognition for her work, including Forbes
Slovakia’s Most Promising 30 Under 30, Emerging Space Leaders Grant from the International Astronautical Federation, and the Women in Aerospace - Europe Young Professional Award.
Breaking the Code with Sohaila Diab
Sohaila Diab is a data scientist at Bayesianx and holds a degree in Computer Science, specializing in Artificial Intelligence. She has over a year of experience working in consulting, analytics, location intelligence, and chatbot technology. Additionally, Sohaila serves as a Tech Programs Officer at the STEM Entrepreneurship Center and is a Google Women Techmakers ambassador, actively promoting diversity and inclusion in STEM.
Breaking the Code with Aadhya Reddy
Aadhya Reddy is a biomedical engineering student at Boston University. She previously volunteered as an observatory docent at Harper College, where she assisted observatory lectures, educated the public about astronomy, and operated telescopes. She has also worked as a mathematics tutor and a FIRST robotics mentor.
Breaking the Code with Fernanda Sulantay
Fernanda Sulantay Vargas is a chemical engineer, a computational scientist, a content creator, and a mom of two kids. She was born and grew up in El Salvador, and she moved to the United States when she was 19 years old. As the first person in her family to go to college, Sulantay faced many challenges but achieved remarkable academic milestones including a Bachelor's degree and two Master's degrees in Chemical Engineering. She is now working on her Ph.D. at Yale University, where she was awarded the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and the GEM fellowship. Sulantay has more than 350,000 followers on social media, where she shares her journey in STEM and gives advice on how to succeed in college.
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Breaking the Code with Caeley Looney
Caeley Looney is an aerospace engineer currently working as a Mission Operations Engineer at Firefly Aerospace on the Blue Ghost Lunar Lander, a spacecraft that is designed to deliver 10 payloads to the lunar surface, capture X-ray images of the Earth’s magnetosphere, and investigate heat flow from the lunar interior. Looney is the founder and CEO of the Reinvented Magazine, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering young women to pursue STEM careers. She aims to break boundaries by reinventing the perception of girls in science with the first print magazine for young women in STEM.
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What is Breaking the Code: Trailblazers in STEM?This is a speaker series, consisting of interviews with individuals in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. Each interview brings insight into their career, motivations, and advice for young female students.
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Where can I find the interviews?All interviews are conducted through Zoom or Google Meet, and recordings are posted on YouTube and our website with subtitles. If you wish to read a transcript instead, those can be found on our website.
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Can I be a guest speaker?Definitely! Even if you have a job adjacent to STEM fields (i.e. management, communications, etc), we would love to have your perspective. To learn more and coordinate an appearance, contact us at breakingthecodewithgabriella@gmail.com or through our Contact page.
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How can I be a guest speaker?Send us an email at breakingthecodewithgabriella@gmail.com or through the form on our Contact page, and we will send over more information shortly! Even if you have more questions about the process or are unsure about participating, feel free to reach out.