Rewiring STEM education through an engineering mindset

At its core, engineering is about applying creative problem-solving skills to complex challenges. In 2001, when a group of 30 women from our company noticed young girls who showed early interest in STEM careers were later shifting away from technical fields, they approached it like any other engineering challenge — with curiosity, resourcefulness and persistence.

Pooling their expertise in technology, science, engineering, finance and business, the group founded what is now known as High-Tech High Heels (HTHH), a nonprofit that has since distributed $2.4 million in funding for STEM programs. Its volunteers have served more than 56,000 girls and trained more than 500 teachers and counselors.  

In 2024, TIers who volunteer with HTHH were honored with the TI Founders Community Impact Award, a biennial recognition of outstanding volunteer service by our employees worldwide. During Women's History Month, their story offers a powerful example of how skills-based volunteering can drive solutions for better representation in STEM fields. Through data-driven programs and hands-on engagement, this group of TI volunteers is working to encourage girls in STEM concepts and dismantle the barriers the founders first identified more than two decades ago.

Applying engineering and business skills to empower students

For TI volunteers, HTHH provides an opportunity to apply professional skills to a cause they deeply care about. "We use skills that we learn from TI, things like success profiles that outline the knowledge, skills and behaviors required for individuals and companies to succeed, along with other tactics that help make organizations stronger," said Julie Knecht, HTHH North Texas board member and chief accounting officer at our company.

For her part, Julie applies her financial expertise to ensure the nonprofit maintains strong fiscal responsibility. "We conduct financial analysis and long-range planning to make sure we're granting money to nonprofits with longevity," she said.

Julie also applies more nuanced leadership skills she's honed at our company to her work at the organization. "How do you get people excited? How do you connect grantees to make progress in a space that doesn't have a direct impact on what you're granting? As leaders at TI, we know how to make things happen, whether it's in your defined space or not," she said.

Today, Julie and other volunteers from our company help raise funds and award grants toward programs that encourage K-12 girls to apply STEM ideas, such as problem-solving and critical thinking, to real-world challenges.

Supported initiatives range from programs like physics camps to unique projects like glass-blowing courses that teach students about materials science. For the kids, these programs provide opportunities to explore STEM in a confidence-boosting environment. For the teachers and counselors, HTHH-funded training helps them recognize challenges that inadvertently discourage girls from pursuing more technical subjects.

Creative problem-solving in action

The OH SNAP program – created by TI employees in Silicon Valley – is a prime example of creative ingenuity in action. The program combines circuit-building kits with instructional videos featuring female engineers, allowing students to explore engineering through guided experimentation.

Through roughly 100 different snap-circuit-building projects, volunteers are able to use the program to teach fundamental engineering principles while showcasing various role models in tech. "We tried to have largely females teaching these videos to model female engineers in this space," explained Sahana Bergland, a sales manager at our company who helps lead the program.

The impact has been transformative. "Some schools actually had kids record their own videos explaining the engineering concept behind the project, which was really cool to see," said Sahana. The program has been particularly valuable in low-income schools, where STEM-trained teachers are often scarce.

Measuring and optimizing impact

Data-driven evaluation is another one of our company’s tenets that carries over to the organization’s work. "We're technology people. We like data," explained Laura Steffek, HTHH national board president and an engineer and director at our company. "We track everything from the number of girls we support to the number of teachers we train and dollars donated. We can slice and dice it by chapter, year and other categories."

And those numbers are noteworthy. In the most recent reporting period, active and retired TIers alone volunteered 4,100 hours, helping fund $520,000 in STEM education initiatives that reached nearly 13,500 girls and more than 300 educators through 18 program partners.

Seeing women in technical roles helps young girls visualize themselves in those spaces. "We have so many women from different backgrounds in tech going and engaging with the girls," said Archana Venugopal, a power technologist at our company who leads academic relations for HTHH's Silicon Valley chapter in California. “The girls can recognize aspects they identify with, including the potential to be a first-generation college graduate.”

Empowering the next generation

Looking ahead, TIers who volunteer with HTHH are fostering new partnerships, expanding its reach, and finding inventive ways to get others involved by applying the same rigorous thinking that drives technological innovation at our company.

“Ultimately, our long-term goal is to build a future where any girl can pursue a STEM career if she has the interest and determination,” said Laura. As they continue to grow and evolve the organization, their focus remains true to our company’s engineering roots: identify the problem, gather data, design solutions and measure results — one student, one program and one community at a time.