Session: How becoming a statue enhanced my advocacy and outreach STEM efforts
For many of us, advocacy and outreach of women in STEM was already a passion and routine in our daily lives. But it took AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science) and Lyda Hill Foundation to bring 120 IF/THEN Ambassadors all together to take our efforts to the next level. I am one of the faces of the IF/THEN Ambassadorship, and I want to share my story with you. I am a professional who uses my various talents to advocate for women in STEM.
If statues could speak, what would they say? Find out in this session, I'll discuss what it was like being featured in the largest display of female statues in one place at one time in the world. I'll also be covering topics like the plethora of opportunities in STEM, how to prepare for these types of careers, the importance of the female perspective in STEM, strategies to succeed in environments where you may be “the only one”, and many more, personal branding. Don’t miss the opportunity to hear about this experience and how building my personal brand helped me.
Bio
STEM advocate, Aisha Lawrey, has 20 years of experience on this journey. Working in industry, government, nonprofits, and education she knows how to engage many different stakeholders, at all levels. Her focus is on increasing the number of women and minorities in engineering.
Aisha currently works for AWS (Amazon Web Services), as the Training & Certification Global Lead for Education Programs, AMER (North, Central, and South America). Her role represents all the Education Programs spanning K-12, higher education, and professional skilling, reskilling, and upskilling learners. The goal is to show multiple pathways to learners that lead to professionals joining the cloud workforce. That’s done by inspiring and creating technical learning experiences to excite younger learners to stay on a STEM/STEAM track and present them with role models that demonstrate a STEM/STEAM career is attainable for anyone.
Prior to joining AWS, Aisha worked at the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME), Inc. as the Senior Director, Programs and Scholarships. She was responsible for planning, directing and executing all scholarships and program activities. She was also the Director of Engineering Education with the American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME). She directed and guided the work of ASME in helping to shape the future of mechanical engineering and engineering technology.
She is currently an AAAS IFTHEN STEM Ambassador and even has a 3D scanned statue in her image. Aisha obtained a Master of Public Policy and Administration from Rutgers University and a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electrical Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology. A New Jersey native, Aisha now resides in Maryland with her husband and 14-year-old twins.