“To my town, The Peacock of Los Chiles, With the cost comes Dos Pinos, what was all that, which I now know is coming?” he expressed. María Isabel Mora Retana, 15 years old and ninth grade student.
Ella Before 2019, she had a completely different life. It was in that year that her mother and aunt decided to leave Pavón and go in search of opportunities for the teenager and her younger sister. And they found them, although the process was not easy.
To this day, he hasn’t forgotten how difficult it was to go from a school where there were only two students per year, back in Los Chiles, to a school with hundreds of students. He is now studying at Elías Leiva Quirós High School, in El Tejar de El Guarco, Cartago.
“The university was very far away. For joy we came and my mother and my aunt got jobs in the middle of the pandemic, thank god. This is how we move forward,” reflected the girl who participated in this publication with the permission of her managers.
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María Isabel looks like a shy teenager, but as the minutes pass, she shows eloquence to talk about what makes her so happy and excited.
Last year he learned about the so-called Starz (yes, with z); At first, she and her classmates were told it was a project to connect girls with careers. STOP (English abbreviation for science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and close the gaps in these fields.
“I signed up with a friend. We were a bunch of girls. As part of the activities, my group got to go to Texas Tech University (in Escaz) and I was amazed at the number of robotics classrooms. I love everything related to programming. We had interviews to learn and get into these professions where there are more men than women,” he said.
María Isabel Mora Retana discovered a world of opportunities and today knows that it is possible to study robotics and programming. She is part of the Estrellaz program, which seeks to close the gender gap in STEM careers. (JOHN DURAN)
It was then that he discovered that the world of robotics and programming was more than just a hobby, and now he knows that if he puts his mind to it, he could make a career out of it. In the camps Starz He was able to build robots, take apart computers and access virtual reality, opportunities he said were unimaginable in “his small town.”
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ToggleWhat is the project about?
Starz It is a program of the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca in collaboration with the Paniamor Foundation and the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Public Education (MEP) in Cartago. It is in this province that a project that seeks access to science and technology careers for teenage girls has begun.
María Isabel is now more than a star, she is one of the brightest: a supernova. The program started with 250 participants and in this second phase they selected the 50 most outstanding young women to receive support for the next three years.
The student managed to move to this stage after writing a letter in which she talked about her dreams. He says the documentary was full of the colors he likes so much.
“I was the most honest I could be in my life,” said the teenager, who today inspires her nine-year-old sister, telling her anything is possible with effort.
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From left to right, Jara Hernández, María Isabel Mora and Nayeli Jiménez, three of the brightest stars of the Estrellaz project. Teenagers plan to study STEM careers. (JOHN DURAN)
The dream resumed
Nayeli Jiménez Quesada, 16 years old and a student Vincent Lachner High School, is other supernova. Today, thanks to his management, he has great experience.
Since she was a child she was interested in astrophysics; He was always attracted to the stars and space. Her dream seemed very big to many people and she was told that studying something like this was difficult for women.
With so many negative voices around, he thought it would be better to train in psychology. Her mother, who allowed her to be part of this article, has always been supportive because as an engineer, she knows what it means to close the gaps.
Nayeli regained her dream thanks to Estrellaz; The opportunity came just after she launched a campaign against sexual harassment. Her intention was to get the support she didn’t get when she went through a difficult experience when she was in the eighth grade.
Nayeli Jiménez wears earrings that remind her of her love for the stars. This tenth year student plans to study engineering physics. (JOHN DURAN)
Seeing his leadership, his school principal and counselors suggested he join Estrellaz.
“This brought my dream back. I felt that something positive like the campaign led to something even more positive. I said, ‘They’re giving me a unique opportunity and I’m not going to waste it,'” said Nayeli, who met the physics engineer at the inauguration of Estrellaz. Sandra Cauffman and became even more inspired.
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Today, Nayeli is clear that she wants to be a physical engineer, and that if she changes her mind, she can approach the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) or aerospace company SpaceX.
“I see the door to my future more open. “I feel a lot of support,” he said.
Jara Hernández is a supernova (advanced level in the Estrellaz program) who loves animals; For this reason, she feels her desire to become a geneticist ever closer. She had permission from her managers to participate in this article. (JOHN DURAN)
‘Now it seems possible’
She also achieved motivation Jara Hernandez Piedra, 16 years old and also a student with Vicente Lachner. Growing up surrounded by drawings and music, the young woman is clear that she wants to study genetics or zoology, a career that makes her want to learn more about animals.
Spring is another one of them supernovae who has been trained and has experience with camps.
“Now I feel that it is possible to achieve my dream of studying in another country. I try to get good grades and try to learn as much as possible. “It’s something I’ve been preparing for since I was a kid,” she said.
Teenagers who inspire
May 29 Microsoft collaborated with the Estrellaz initiative through a workshop where the 50 supernovas who are part of the new phase of the program learned about technology and were inspired by leading women in these fields.
Ineke GeesinkMicrosoft’s director of SMEs for Central America and the Caribbean, as well as the country manager for Microsoft Costa Rica, was present and expressed that she felt hopeful and inspired to see the number of girls committed to continuing their education, growing, and thus shaping Her future.
“It’s exciting for us to advance education and training to help expand opportunities for high school youth to find a path in technology. (…) For these girls, having access to female leaders who serve as role models is a dream come true; maybe many women of our generation didn’t have access to those numbers,” Geesink noted.
He also got involved in the activity Milena Grillo, Director of Strategy and Innovation at Paniamor, who emphasized that this project encourages teenage girls to dream and think that they can develop their skills and abilities. In addition, she pointed out that Estrellaz gives them a sense of companionship, helping them stay in the education system and form positive relationships.
“In these times of such violence against women, it is critical for us that girls can be the subject of change that allows them to redirect their trajectories to something full of light and opportunity that will benefit both them and the girls around them them. around,” he emphasized.
