The CyberPatriot club, an after-school program in which students create and destroy computer viruses while improving their own teamwork and leadership skills, is a more welcoming place for girls than their 15:1 ratio of boys to girls would suggest.
Historically, females are underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) careers. In 2011, only one in eight women was in a STEM career field.
Freshman Quiana Dang defies the stereotype of a male computer engineer. She’s already a competing member, even though this is her first year in the club.
One of the negative side effects of a relatively female-less vocational path can be widespread sexual harassment and sexism. Dang, however, has experienced few to none of those situations.
“I don’t actually have any problems being one of the few girls in the club,” Dang said. “My team has three out of the four girls in the club, so that may be why, but even if all the teams are meeting, I don’t feel out of place or anything.”
Sophomore Stephanie Cyphers is another one of the very few females in the club. She joined the club to protect her electronic devices.
“[CyberPatriots] helps you secure your computer and wireless networks from cyber criminals,” Cyphers said.
There are also other benefits; for example, competitions allow for the chance of winning scholarships.
“[Scholarships] look good on resumes, and placing nationally would help me as well,” Dang said. “I’m not just in this club for the scholarships, though. It’s pretty cool overall, and I would still stick with it even if I didn’t get a scholarship.”
While defying social norms, CyberPatriots membership is, according to Dang, the path to the future.