From the Classroom to the Boardroom: Empowering the Next Generation

Teacher high-fiving a student during a learning moment. Photo by RDNE Stock Project on Pexels.

Leadership doesn’t start in a boardroom, it starts in a classroom, at a community event, or during a conversation that makes someone feel like their ideas matter.

For young people exploring STEAM, especially girls, leadership often begins the moment they’re encouraged to take the lead. Whether it’s through building a prototype, pitching a project, or mentoring someone younger, each step builds the mindset and confidence that leadership requires.

The skills developed through STEAM, problem-solving, collaboration, adaptability, creativity aren’t limited to labs or laptops. They carry over into every area of life and work. These are the same qualities that make great team builders, educators, entrepreneurs, and executives.

And because leadership doesn’t look the same for everyone, it’s important to create space for different voices and styles. Some students lead through design thinking, others through research or storytelling. Some ask the hard questions. Others listen deeply and bring people together.

The key is making sure young people have support systems in place as they grow into these roles, access to mentors, safe spaces to try new things, and experiences that push them outside of their comfort zone in a way that feels empowering, not intimidating.

When girls are supported as leaders in STEAM, they don’t just change their own futures, they help change the culture of the fields they enter.