My name is Natalie King from the College of Education and Human Development at Georgia State University. I am also the founder and executive director of I AM STEM, LLC and will partner with Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy to provide professional development, summer learning experiences, and shirts/apparel.

     I want to hear about your experiences as a student at Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy (CSKYWLA). Your input will help my team to understand how girls develop identities in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Overall, we hope to gain information about your science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) identities and intent to enroll in college and declare a STEM major. By volunteering to be a part of this study, you will allow us to collect and review your written work that is part of the normal program activities.

     You may be asked to complete surveys that ask you about your interests and attitudes toward the STEM subjects. You may also be asked to participate in a focus group interview with a few of your peers to discuss your in-school and out-of-school experiences in STEM. We will ask you a few questions, and you can decide if you want to answer and what you want to share. You can be creative and make your own blog posts about your STEM learning and reflect through journaling in an online space.

     There are no known risks to participating. You do not have to be in this study, and your parent(s)/legal guardian(s) cannot make you be in it. No one will be mad or upset with you if you do not take part in the study. You may drop out at any time. Your name will not be used in any reports and your level of participation in the study will not affect your grades in school.