GREENVILLE, Wis. — Three years ago, Cylyce Wilson found robots.
That was one more step in helping her decide she’d like pursue a career in engineering.
“I joined robotics three years ago and I really like the building, documenting and I really like code,” the Fox Valley Lutheran High School student said Wednesday. ”I haven’t coded much, but learning about it is super cool and I just really like the experience of learning.”
She got hands-on time with some small robots at the Smart Girls Rock! Event in Greenville, Wis. The day was designed to give students from around Fox Valley up-close engagement with careers in science, technology, engineering and math.
It also intended to connect them with women already working in STEM-related fields.
“When I take my engineering classes, I don’t see a lot of females there. I I think it’s super cool to see leaders who are females,” Wilson said. “It’s a representation of what I want to become.”
Smart Girls Rock! is put on by the Fox Cities Chamber Of Commerce. It was hosted by the Walbec Group at its Northeast Asphalt location in Greenville.
Bridget Kraus of the Walbec Group has worked in construction marketing for the past 20 years. She helped students as they used common baking ingredients to learn how asphalt is made.
“They’re able to try different things, see what they’re passionate about and then hopefully move into STEM careers,” she said. “A lot of these companies are male-dominated industries, so we’re trying to get women, and high school students, more engaged in paths that get them into STEM careers.”
Kraus said she seen a change in the past two decades.
“I’ve seen way more women in roles like project managers, engineers, laborers, carpenters, even in the trades,” she said. “I’ve seen a lot more women now than when I first started, so our efforts definitely progressing and doing some good.”
Wilson will likely be part of the next generation of women to move into STEM fields.
“I see myself as a software engineer or an engineer of some sort,” she said. “I really enjoy the engineering field. It’s one of my big passions.”