What Does Women In STEM Mean and What Can It Look Like?
Celebrating Women and Girls in STEM
International Day of Women and Girls in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) is a time to recognize and honor women’s significant achievements and encourage the pursuit of scientific and technological passions. Equally as important is continuing the effort to support women and girls’ contributions throughout the year.
SiteCrafting’s vision is to create impact through technology. We measure our success by taking a glimpse at thriving employees, organizations and communities that we’ve chosen to surround ourselves with.
Women in STEM is Inclusion
I was accustomed to working in male-dominated industries, always trying my hardest to prove that I deserved a seat at the table. I was fueled by pure determination to make a difference at restaurants, a whiskey bar and most recently, a brewery. Resilience and serendipity led me to the industry that struck the most fear in me. I managed to get my foot in the door with a full-service digital agency and step into the world of tech. SiteCrafting gave me access to a career field that I was always intimidated by. I was business culture shocked to not only be welcomed to the table but also to see the seats around me filled by empowering women.
My official job title is Marketing & Content Strategy Coordinator but I’ve requested to have my business card say “SiteCrafting Hype Girl.”
My primary responsibility is to craft meaningful connections and experiences within the company and with our clients and the community. I roughly translated that to “cheer on your peers with a multitude of professional love languages.” I keep the office vibes vibin’. I shout our expertise from the rooftops (aka newsletters and social media). I plan company gatherings because our accomplishments deserve to be celebrated. I show up as my best self so that I can support others to be their best selves. The endeavor comes full-circle — the encouragement here is unending.
“Working on a team with 14 other women means never having to pay shipping for Glossier orders because we can combine our purchasing powers when we need a Balm Dotcom restock,” our Brand Manager Jen Rittenhouse said. “I’m a believer in Shine Theory and think everything companies do to address underrepresentation advances the future for women and girls in our industry.”
Manager of Digital Strategy Angie Carson and Brand Manager Jen Rittenhouse
Shine Theory is a concept created by journalists Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman, which they describe as “a commitment to collaborating with rather than competing against other people.” Project Manager Jenny Carr believes that SiteCrafting is only as special as the people who make it up.
Project Managers from left to right: Carrie Barker, Jenny Carr, Kyndall Hoff and Crissy Pagulayan
Women in STEM is Diversity
We believe that new ideas can come from anyone, at any time, and we know that the diversity of our experiences contributes to making our team stronger. What sets us apart from industry standards is that we can make the case that diversity is the advantage. It’s a core value that has guided us for years.
Reena Hensely is the longest-standing female employee, celebrating her 18th year with the company. Reena began her career as a receptionist and taught herself to code between answering phone calls. She became a full-time developer after her first year and now leads the front-end development team of two — two women.
Yes, you did read that right. Our front-end department consists of just two full-stack developers, Reena and Leah. Leah says she thrives on any obstacle.
“I know there is a way, there is always a way, you just have to find it. The challenge is the fun part.”
Front-end Development Manager Reena Hensley & Front-end Developer Leah Ruisenor
User Experience Researcher Lynn Pham graduated from UW Tacoma with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication before continuing on to receive her Masters of Science in Human Centered Design & Engineering from UW Seattle. She remembers visiting SiteCrafting’s office during a field trip in 2015. She saw more men than women and pointed it out to her professor. “That’s tech for you,” her professor said.
Since that time, SiteCrafting has doubled the number of women in the company. And, Lynn has been the first and only female to join the UX team.
“With the opportunities I’ve had with UX so far, I’ve definitely had great women role models to lean on. Grad school has been helpful because there were people that looked like me — women in the industry and women of color. I’ve been fortunate enough to have, and still have, a network of people that I can always rely on in the UX community. Tacoma’s UX community is a lot smaller than we think that it is, so it’s important that we build each other up,” Lynn said.
Like myself, Manager of Digital Strategy Angie Carson didn’t think she would have a job in the tech industry.
“I sort of inherited managing a website early in my career because I was young and ‘understood the internet.’ I love that I’ve been able to carve my own path and hopefully be able to show and uplift other young women that want a tech career,” Angie said.
Where there’s a closed door, Angie is either finding the key (it’s her actual superpower) or bravely knocking it down.
“There have been plenty of occasions in my professional life where I have been ignored or overlooked because of my gender or ethnicity,” Angie said. “Instead of getting discouraged, it makes me want to work twice as hard to help other women break into this industry so there’s more representation in the room.”
Women in STEM is Equality
The best business leaders are great allies. Who SiteCrafting is today is because of President & Founder Brian Forth’s vision to connect people, solve problems and help others succeed through technology. His impact is apparent, yet effortless. This year marks the company’s 26 year anniversary and another year of implementing a business model that Brian has witnessed his entire career.
“When I was first working in the industry in the Bay area, the company’s leadership were women. My department was 50% female and the majority of another department was women. Even here in the South Sound I’ve been surrounded by powerful female leaders.”
SiteCrafting staff is 45% women, whereas the average in the tech industry is 26.2%
“Women play a critical role at SiteCrafting as well as in the best companies in the world. We need more women in STEM and corporate leadership in general. Our team is stronger, we provide better solutions to our clients, and our community is made more whole through the contributions of women in STEM,” Brian said.
Women in STEM is a Community
I’m proud of the extraordinary work that we do, but I’m most proud of how we take on challenges together. Support shows up in many different ways, whether it’s a quick Zoom call to collaborate on a project or a middle of the day break for coffee in the office lounge. One challenge that I often consider is how we can uplift the women in our community. I grew up being told, “If you can help someone, help them.”
I am reminded of this when I connect with organizations that align with our mission. Earlier this month, IGNITE Worldwide invited our team to participate in a panel at one of their local STEM career conferences. There was no doubt that we wanted to partner with IGNITE to connect girls with STEM opportunities in school.
My colleague Lynn and I were amazed by the attendance at Bates Technical College. The workshops buzzed with excitement, girls filled the auditorium, eager to learn about the work field. Throughout the day, I constantly heard: “I wish I had something like this when I was younger,” always coming from successful women in STEM themselves. The experience made me realize the importance of in-person events in fostering connections, not just for the students but for mentors too.
I can keep wondering how to uplift women in our community; we can keep saying, “I wish I had this” and “what does women in STEM mean and what can it look like?” or we can answer it right now. We get to decide what we want it to look like.
Pull up a chair — there’s room at the table for you.
Controller Meredith Taylor & HR Specialist Michelle Harrison
