BC Hosts Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day

Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Recently, Bakersfield College hosted the annual Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day. This exciting event brings together young women from high schools from across Kern County to learn more about engineering and STEM career fields. The day is filled with a variety of activities, including engineering panels, professional development workshops, a keynote speaker, and more.

Sara Sullivan, Program Manager of the California Renewable Energy Lab at Kern CCD and one of the event coordinators, talked about the importance of the event, “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day is important because it expands access and opportunity for young women who may not otherwise see engineering as an attainable career,” she said, “The event highlights the importance of diversity in STEM fields and aims to motivate young women to imagine themselves in technical careers.”

The event started with an Engineering Panel where industry professionals shared their successes and challenges that they have experienced throughout their STEM career. Attendees were then broken up into three groups to participate in morning workshops. The workshop topics were ‘Introduction to Engineering Careers’, ‘Communication Skills that Make a Difference’, and ‘Career Path Advanced Planning’. After lunch and a group photo, the groups then participated in a variety of activities – all highlighting the fun and significance of STEM fields.

The Renegade Event Center was abuzz throughout the day as more than 250 high schoolers transitioned to and from activities, workshops, interactive panels and speakers. At the end of the event, several of the attendees received prizes and awards, including 10 lucky young women who got to go home with a $100 bill!

Sara Sullivan was excited about the future for the event participants. “By increasing awareness, representation, and mentorship, it helps build a more diverse local engineering workforce,” she said, “It is a day dedicated to empowering girls to dream big and not let academic challenges limit their career aspirations.”

Thank you to all the sponsors and volunteers who helped make this event possible. We look forward to having many the attendees come to BC in the future to pursue their dreams in STEM fields.