MechaniGals

I am the CEO/Founder of MechaniGals, an organization dedicated to empowering young women in robotics and with the mission to create an inclusive environment and dispel gender stereotypes. I have hosted workshops to spread this message, including in underserved communities where students often lack the resources to partake in robotics due to the high costs associated with equipment. In these workshops, students learned about the fundamentals of the engineering design process, built various robotics components, and even coded their robots to navigate obstacle courses. These workshops were held in the Brambleton Library in Ashburn, VA; Nirmala High School in Vijayawada, India; & Sancta Maria International School in Hyderabad, India. 

Only 19% of the robotics workforce is female. As one of only two girls on my robotics team, I initially encountered subtle sexism, including reluctance from the boys to let me operate the robot and occasional belittlement. However, when some male members couldn’t attend a crucial competition, I seized this opportunity to step up and lead, while also overcoming the overbearing attitudes of those present. I took control of the robot’s operations, confidently communicating strategies and addressing setbacks, ensuring we would win. And that’s exactly what we did (picture above). Walking up to receive our award, I felt immense pride, and it was the first time I saw girl power in action, inspiring me to start MechaniGals.