MACON, Ga. — According to the census, women are highly underrepresented in STEM compared to men. Now a Central Georgia college is getting the chance to give out full-ride scholarships for many women seeking to achieve their dreams.
"I knew I wanted to be in the medical field. I knew I wanted to be a physician," says Pollock
Pollock is a 4th-year double major student at Wesleyan College. She had her eyes set on a career in the stem field, but she only had a few role models that looked like her growing up.
"Most people in my hometown. Our generation was the first to go to college, so seeing women in those positions was rare," says Pollock.
Now she's looking to achieve her dream of being a physician while being a role model for other women, but her dream comes with a big worry, one that many college students share.
"That's always a persistent thing in the back of my mind especially going forward in medical school, is debt," says Pollock.
Wesleyan College is a long ground-breaker in women's education. I received over a $1 million grant to help with that. Melody Blake, the provost at the college, says that will allow more women to follow their dreams into stem jobs.
"This scholarship is designed specifically for women who have high financial needs and are also highly talented. We're seeing this huge shortage of role models for this next generation to know what it looks like to see a woman accomplishing the things that scientists do," says Blake.
Wesleyan college hopes to bring more women into the stem field, including little girls that never thought they could
"To be able to pay for this and come without the pressure of finances that changed the ball game for people that want to change the future," says Pollock.