Sophie Sanchez, STEM Muse

STEM Muse is patching the leaky pipeline by connecting women in STEM higher education (undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral associates, and research staff) with professionals more advanced in their academic and industry careers. We’re cultivating a network, fostering a sense of belonging, and providing career opportunities through mentorship and a professional network. We founded and have scaled a mentorship program since 2020 through a student organization Sophie founded at UT, serving more than 400 women to date. Now, we’re scaling our efforts to extend our impact nationally by launching STEM Muse.

Our mentorship program has been designed to meet the individual needs of our mentees, starting by letting them select their mentors through an algorithm-optimized matching process that allows as many mentees to get their top choice mentor as possible. We facilitate the mentorship experience through in-person and virtual programming, and by providing themed conversation guides to spur productive discussions relevant to the mentees’ academic and professional growth. We are also building a web platform for women in STEM as a hub for networking and sharing resources and opportunities.

Companies that employ women with STEM degrees may sponsor STEM Muse and gain the opportunity to interact with potential recruits roles directly. The sustained professional relationships we catalyze enable companies to (1) mold future employees from early on by guiding them on skills they’ll need to be successful at their company, and (2) arm these women with a support network before they step into the office or lab on Day 1.