By Aswad Walker
Originally appeared in Word in Black
According to a Houston-born singer you might have heard of, girls run the world. And by some measures, the assertion seems on point. In terms of degrees earned, Black women are the most educated demographic in the nation. Moreover, Black women are using their skills and smarts, whether degreed or not, to find businesses at a faster clip than any others, regardless of race or gender.
But while there is much to celebrate regarding our sisters, there are reasons to be concerned. Black women are hit hardest by the lack of access to healthcare because, as the primary caregivers of children, they have to deal with, in real time, the fact that Texas has the highest rate of uninsured youth in the country. And Black women have fewer resources to deal with their own and/or their children’s issues, as they’re paid roughly 65 cents for every dollar earned by white men doing the same job.
Moreover, Black women represent the fastest-growing demographic entering prison. Black women are victims of more violent crimes (including murder) than any other group. Black girls from elementary to high school suffer from “adultification” — school officials, law enforcement officers, and judges view Black girls as older and more “worldly” than they actually are and give them harsher punishments for the same infractions perpetrated by their white counterparts.
Black women and girls are also human trafficked at a higher percentage than others.
The question concerned human beings must ask is what can we do to make for better life outcomes for Black women?
One group answers that question by dedicating themselves to empowering Black girls and other girls for success in the classroom, the workforce, and life in general. That group is Nerdy Girl Success (NGS).
NGS Overview
Houston native and self-described nerd girl, Christina Meade, is the founder and executive director of the nonprofit born out of Meade’s educational background, business experience and passion for women’s issues.
The mission of Nerdy Girl Success is to change the landscape of leadership by supporting and preparing high-to-college-aged young women to become the decision-makers of today and tomorrow.
“Through career exploration and career prep, we empower young women to find their voice and chart their path,” said Meade.
Who NGS Serves
“We serve high school girls and young women into college, and our big, hairy, audacious goal is to get more women into decision-making positions, thus impacting the way society views women and our role in it,” said Meade. “We see our role in making that happen as supporting young women in their journey into those positions.”
One aspect of NGS involves career exploration, focusing not just on careers participants are interested in but also introducing them to careers they don’t know exist or aren’t typically introduced to as girls.
“NGS also focuses on teaching participants the soft skills needed for long-term career success, including negotiation skills, deciphering and navigating company culture, and the art of connecting with a mentor.
Origin Story
A middle and high school teacher, Meade left education in 2009 as her position as a science instructional specialist was being phased out. She chose to help out her husband, who was then starting a business.
To strengthen her skills for the role of business executive, she attended multiple networking events with fellow entrepreneurs and found, time and again, a room almost exclusively of white men.
“As I was getting a little frustrated with that, I started remembering the stories my mom told me about things that happened to her when she was in high school, like being told she couldn’t go for a particular career because she was girl, she wouldn’t be good at math because she was a girl. And my grandmother shared similar stories. Then thinking back and remembering, I had something like that happen to me when I was in high school and college,” said Meade, who realized those same things were happening to many of the girls in her former school, including “seeing girls who were uber-smart, dumbing down their intelligence when they were around boys, and not always raising their hand and give the answers.”
Believing if she did nothing, she too would be part of the problem, Meade committed to be part of the solution.
The NGS “Why”
NGS recognizes the power of representation: 80% of Black girls and 64% of Latinx girls scored higher on leadership scales when they have role models of the same race/ethnicity (Girls Leadership Study). The organization seeks to end adolescent girls ruling out occupations based on gender, social class, or “intellectual potential” (Gender-Role Stereotyping and Career Aspirations Study).
A recent survey revealed that young women know they deserve equal opportunities and pay, yet remain hesitant to enter male-dominated careers like engineering (Girls’ Career Aspirations Study). NGS seeks to empower girls’ voices.
And Meade has an all-star team of board members and volunteers who give life and substance to NSG’s “why,” including entrepreneur, strategist and NGS board vice president Miara Shaw.
“I am honored to help shape future female leaders through NGS’s programs,” said Shaw. “I’m confident that the impact made will help shape greater leaders for our future.”
Results
Since 2018, NGS has served over 600 young women with almost 500 hours of free programming.
“Through career exploration, mentoring, and career and college prep, we empower and equip our young women to chart their own path to leadership,” shared Meade, who adds since NGS’s founding, its participants have been accepted into business mentorship programs; gone out for and accepted school leadership positions; started setting goals and creating action plans for meeting them; and are generally better prepared for interviews for college, jobs and scholarships.
One of the recipients of the Nerdy Girl magic is Rachana Baditha, a college graduate, business professional, and NGS alum.
“Nerdy Girl Careers goes above and beyond to help girls enter the working world as confident young women,” shared Baditha. “They truly spare no effort to give us the advice and support we need to push our careers forward.”
Future
NGS seeks to expand its reach across the greater Houston area and across the country.
“Reach out to us if you’d like the young women in your community to have access to our programs,” added Meade.
This post was originally published on Houston Defender.