According to Chicago mom and entrepreneur Gayle Keller, actress and activist Geena Davis said it best.
“‘If we can’t see it, we can’t become it,'” Keller quotes Davis as saying.
That’s exactly what Keller’s goal is with her 2022 book, “Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead: Triumphant Tales for Working Women to Overcome Adversity, Fear, and Self-Doubt,” and now with a line of dolls she’s created, “Theodora S.T.E.A.M. Girls.”
Keller’s goal is to help women and girls pursue careers in the fields of S.T.E.A.M., or science, technology, arts and math, and to overcome biases against women that often create obstacles in those fields.
You may have typically seen these fields referred to as S.T.E.M., but Keller says she added the “A” to include arts.
The book was written for an adult audience, Keller says, and now the line of dolls and six corresponding children’s books target a younger audience.
Keller sat down with Jewell Hillery to discuss her mission, her book and her line of dolls on Sunday’s WGN Weekend Morning News.
“I’ve been in tech for over 20 years, and most notably (with) Microsoft,” Keller explains of her background. “It was hard to leave, but being a mom to two young girls and what I faced first-hand in terms of some of the gender biases that exist in all of S.T.E.A.M. — it’s really important for me to eradicate some of the gender biases, the bullying that happens.
“Being a girl is hard in this world. When I found out that I’m going to be the mom to two young girls, I’m not going to close the path to parity, but if I can help get there faster, I’m going to with this line.”
Check out the attached video for the full interview.
