KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- Female service members from the 58th Special Operations Wing flew to Santa Fe, New Mexico to speak with young girls apart of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) Santa Fe program, June 9, 2023.
STEM Santa Fe advocates for developing and providing STEM programming, mentoring and resources for all youth, especially underrepresented groups in STEM, to help realize their potential and expand their opportunities in a dynamic world.
The STEM camp is for 7th-12th grade girls and non-binary students, focused specifically on aviation and aviation-related careers.
The 58th SOW held career discussions, virtual reality training headset demos, and two static aircraft displays.
“It’s great to have women from all different minorities and career fields come out,” said Maj. Amanda “Scarlett” Morgan, HH-60 “Whiskey” instructor pilot at Kirtland Air Force Base. “The girls can visualize themselves in those positions or they can see a woman in the community holding that job. They now know they can go out and do those things.”
The 58th SOW, along with other entities of Kirtland Air Force Base, are constantly going out into the community to demonstrate what is done STEM wise on base.
Whether that is the science part from the Air Force Research Laboratory or the aviation side of the 58th SOW, community engagement and demonstration helps shed light on different career fields the Air Force has to offer.
“It’s huge that these girls get exposure to these kinds of environments,” exclaimed Morgan. “If we are not actively going out into the community these girls would never know what is right next door to them.”