Diversity in STEM

Diversity sparks creativity, creativity fuels change, and embracing change fires the path to innovation. I never came across this thought until my experience at the Girls in ICT program by Ericsson at the Sweden Pavilion at Expo 2020.

The program's goal was to encourage young women to pursue careers in STEM and ICT. Here, we were placed in groups with various students and given tasks that required us to work together to solve unique problems. The various perspectives that came with the various cultures here were one thing that mesmerized me. I did not engage in many cross-cultural interactions because I spent most of my life in an Indian environment. I've always associated Indian people's issues with their dual roles as action-takers and recipients. I widened my field of vision and zoomed out to see the rest of the world. My ability to view the world from a global perspective has been influenced by these interactions with people of various races and cultures, and I intend to have more of them.

That day I learned that diversity fosters novelty, enhances research impact, and brings essential voices to the table. Never underestimate the power of diversity as it has the potential to change the world for the good.