What it Feels Like Being the Only Girl in my Computer Science Class

Everyone knows that females aren’t exactly dominating the STEM fields and as a Computer Science major,  I do notice the lack of estrogen in my lectures. I was always told that there wouldn’t be many girls in my classes and I suppose that’s true; but, what truly shocked me was when I walked into my CS 240 discussion section. I was the only girl.

Okay, so, within the first couple of minutes, I still had hope. There was someone sitting in the front with long hair in a bun-could be a girl! Then they turned around. Boy. I looked all around me but there truly were no other girls in sight. Now, this would be startling to any girl, but coming from an all-girls’ high school, I had literally never been in such a situation. It’s different being one of the few girls in a lecture. That I don’t really pay attention to or even notice, but where you’re in a small room with maybe 25 people, it’s hard not to notice. When I walked in, my face fell. It was so weird. I could tell that the guys all noticed it too. They kinda stared at me, smiling… creepy.

Although this is a pretty upsetting sight, I felt almost… accomplished? When I got answers right it was more rewarding than when I did in other classes, especially if a lot of the boys got it wrong. Sorry for that weird flex, but it made me feel proud–proud to be the only girl and to be succeeding; almost like a slap in the face to the patriarchy. I often joke that I’m a “steminist,” a feminist in the stem field. It’s a bit of a ridiculous title but it felt more applicable to my life at this moment than any other. 

As far as actual interactions with my classmates, everything seems pretty normal but there’s always something a little off. Maybe it’s just me. This just gives me more incentive to succeed; to show ‘em who’s boss! Needless to say, we need more girls in STEM!