One Student’s Path Into STEM as a Black Woman

Damilola Awofisayo, a first-year student at Duke University, wanted nothing to do with science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) when she entered high school. Being from Nigeria, access to electricity was unreliable, and she had little exposure to learning tech.

But Awofisayo’s high school counselor signed her up for a computer science course that would spark her interest in technology — she founded her own hackathon, an event where computer programmers come together to engage in rapid and collaborative engineering over a relatively short period of time to work on projects. She also created apps and won an award from Apple.

I really liked the idea of having a tool to use for solving a lot of the problems I saw in my current society and back in Nigeria, Awofisayo said. Computer science was kind of my tool to be the change I wanted to see.

Gender and racial gaps exist in STEM industries worldwide. Unequal opportunities in education, a lack of academic and social support, and discrimination have created an industry that underrepresents Black women.

But, with the right exposure and mentorship, Awofisayo knows firsthand that young Black women are empowered to enter STEM fields.

Throughout history, Black women have pursued careers that uplift their communities and STEM industries. They invent life-saving and life-changing technologies and lead teams of researchers developing incredible advancements in STEM.

However, many have not received their due recognition. And their contributions have gone unnoticed over the years.

Awofisayo weighs in on what being a Black woman in STEM is like.

As Awofisayo describes it, being a Black woman in STEM has been really daunting.

In her first computer science class, the students were asked to turn on their computers. Every computer turned on except for Awofisayo’s.

As the only Black woman in the class, she automatically thought she was the only one in the class who couldn’t turn on a computer. As it turns out, her computer had been unplugged. But the moment stuck out as the start of feelings that arose by being the only Black woman in the class.

I immediately just thought, ‘Maybe I’m not meant for this,’ Awofisayo said. It’s just the idea of being the only person from my background. Whenever I don’t know how to do something, it automatically brings me back to thinking everyone knows this except for me.

As the National Science Foundation notes, women make up just 34% of the STEM workforce, as of 2019 — despite making up about half of those employed in the United States. For Black women, the numbers showcase an even smaller percentage.

According to a Pew Research Center study published in 2021, Black employees account for just 9% of the STEM workforce. And Black women ages 25 and older earned the lowest median annual STEM salaries ($57,000, which is tied with Hispanic women). In comparison, according to the Pew study, the median annual salary for Asian workers ages 25 and older is 127% of comparable white workers, or about $99,100.

The National Center for Education Statistics identifies that Black women accounted for low percentages of STEM degree earners in 2019-2020.

Despite Black women being underrepresented in the STEM industry, students like Awofisayo continue pursuing STEM degrees and careers in earnest.

The first time you’re going into STEM is going to be hard because finding people who don’t look like you is pretty scary, but just think about the impact you can have as one of the first or only people that have your perspective, Awofisayo said.

In addition to being underrepresented, Awofisayo shares that being a minority in STEM can also mean your actions inadvertently represent those of your whole community.

You feel like you’re not only representing yourself, but also where you come from, which is really hard, Awofisayo says.

As she continued pursuing STEM learning opportunities, Awofisayo identified that being recognized by her male peers was very important to her. She believes that the more recognition Black women in STEM receive for their talent and work, the more motivated they can be to push forward.

Being able to have that validation from someone who doesn’t come from the same background as me, someone who I see as very smart and accomplished, it was really encouraging for me, Awofisayo said.

Awofisayo took AP STEM courses to hone her skills. Outside of school, she participated in coding courses, hackathons, and STEM summer camps.

During a hackathon at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she and her friends created an image recognition app that detects hand gestures to help people learn American Sign Language. She went on to develop Plantry, an app that helps mitigate food waste. Plantry helps farmers and gardeners track plant growth, detect plant diseases using image recognition, and provide recipe suggestions.

I think computer science has the power to change a lot in society and empower a lot of communities, Awofisayo said. I hope to start a company focused on ethical practices in computer science and creating technology that’s not only ethical but also accessible and efficient.

Awofisayo is now pursuing a career intersecting computer science and community empowerment. At Duke University, she’s double majoring in computer science and public policy.