Photos: Kara Branch\YouTube Screenshots
Kara Branch, a multi-award winning Chemical Engineer who has headed up projects for NASA and Intel, is founder of Black Girls Do Engineer – a 501c3 nonprofit that provides access, education, representation, and mentorship for academically gifted Black girls from kindergarten through college who are interested in S.T.E.M. (science, tech, engineering and mathematics).
Branch, 34, was troubled by a systemic issue within the field of S.T.E.M. During her time as an engineering major at HBCU Prairie View A&M University she was only one of a handful of women in her program. Throughout Branch’s subsequent career in chemical engineering, she has often been the only Black woman in the room. Beyond the disheartening anecdotal evidence, “According to the National Science Foundation, as of 2023 only 35% of people in the S.T.E.M. workforce are women, 5% are women of color, and a miniscule 2.9% are Black women” (new.nsf.gov).
The problem really hit home for Branch when her eldest daughter, who was 9 years old at the time, expressed a desire to become an engineer. “I knew I didn’t want her to encounter what I had experienced, feeling like the only Black woman in spaces that were dominated by men with very few Black women,” says Branch. “I wanted to provide my daughter and thousands of other talented Black girls and young women with representation and a clear roadmap for success in S.T.E.M.”
In 2019, Kara Branch launched her nonprofit organization, Black Girls Do Engineer.
Student Members of Black Girls Do Engineer at Greentown Labs Tech Accelerator in Houston, TX
“Our organization was created with the concern that Black-American girls and young women are not choosing S.T.E.M. related careers, and our passion is to change the narrative and fix this issue.” – Kara Branch
Shortly after launching, Black Girls Do Engineer became the only nonprofit organization accepted into Houston’s Greentown Labs accelerator, which currently houses 80+ clean energy tech startups.
Black Girls Do Engineer By the Numbers:
2,200 girls, K through college have been served, to date, through Kara’s Black Girls Do Engineer program
BGDE has opened 3 chapters: their flagship Houston location, Los Angeles and New Orleans with more to come
$44,000 in S.T.E.M.-related college scholarships have been awarded to BGDE members since 2019
Black Girls Do Engineer student members at the S.T.E.M. Day Houston Event
Kara’s goal with Black Girls Do Engineer is to create a future pipeline of Black girls and young women who are aware of S.T.E.M. careers, who see representation of Black women in those fields; and ensuring access to resources, skills, mentorship and opportunities for members. “We are creating a viable pathway towards these girls achieving in S.T.E.M. fields.”
As the fastest growing program for Black girls in S.T.E.M., BGDE has been dubbed “The Ivy League of Nonprofits.” The program is application-based and offers full-time membership-based S.T.E.M. camps and workshops to Black girls in grades K through 12, with mentorship and individual workshops also offered to college students up through age 21.
Black Girls Do Engineer student members soldering at BGDE S.T.E.M. Day Houston
BGDE futuristic programs of study include: A.I., Energy, Audio/Visual, Aerospace, Engineering, Medical, Robotics and Coding.
Mentoring includes: College Prep, Financial Literacy, Upskilling, and Mentorship from professionals working in these fields offering real life experience.
Kara Branch has an ambitious goal for Black Girls Do Engineer. “Our organization’s goal is to provide access, awareness, and advocacy for two million Black American girls to pursue S.T.E.M. careers by the year 2025.”
The program currently has a 100% college acceptance rate and 100% job placement rate among its members.
