Booz Allen and Girl Up Unite to Inspire Girls in STEM

Each year, Girl Up—an initiative of the United Nations Foundation—hosts a Leadership Summit to inspire girl leaders worldwide to achieve gender equality and catalyze social change. The 2020 summit—made virtual for the first time ever due to the COVID-19 pandemic—brought together nearly 30,000 participants from 170 countries and featured speakers such as Michelle Obama, Meghan Markle, Hillary Clinton, and Sheryl Sandberg.

This year, the event remained virtual and featured Malala Yousafzai, WWE Superstar Sonya Deville, and UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed. Booz Allen’s own Vice President Hillarie Flood served as a key speaker among the distinguished list of women leaders.

Booz Allen also returned as a key partner, sponsoring the event’s STEM Day of Action, and, in order to help break down barriers to connectivity, provided a WiFi scholarship to 50 girls for the cost of data coverage to be able to attend the virtual Leadership Summit. 

At the STEM Day of Action, Flood discussed her career as a woman in a male-dominated, high-tech sector. She learned early on that her analytical skills and her ability to digest technical information, coupled with her ability to mobilize teams, communicate effectively, and lead strategic business solutions, positioned her as a key talent for developing and marketing technology solutions in high-tech Fortune 500 companies. 

Flood now works with product users and developers to provide customer solutions across an array of products and markets. Her career was launched at Microsoft, laying a foundation in the entrepreneurial high-tech industry, and she further advanced at AOL, and then Verisign.

Taking her own advice, Flood built a village of mentors and supporters. Starting in college, her initial major was electrical engineering. During a summer internship at IBM, Flood told her mentor that while she liked the work, it was the problem solving that most engaged and interested her. “She told me that you don’t have to be an engineer to solve problems. That was the first time I heard of the role of a product manager,” said Flood during the STEM Day of Action Fireside Chat.

“There are a variety of opportunities for girls in STEM. The foundation is to be curious, want to solve problems, and have a desire to impact in the world we live in.”

Louise, a Girl Up Teen Advisor from Brazil, interviewed Flood for the event’s Fireside Chat. “Many times, girls feel alone in their path,” the teen said. “How can we help them have more confidence? What advice would you give your younger self?” 

This sense of aloneness hasn’t changed enough yet, Flood admitted. “You talk about being the only one in a class and that was me. I was often the only Black person and woman in the room many times.”

She advised participants: “When you have earned a seat at the table, you’re there for a reason—you’ve earned it. You have to surround yourself with people—a village—that remind you and reinforce that, but also keep you honest and grounded. Also, take advantage of being there and open up a seat for another woman—that will truly impact change.”

Through partnering with initiatives and events like the Girl Up Leadership Summit, Booz Allen aims to create such a village for women in STEM. As the nature of work continues to change due to the rapid evolution of technology, girls have vast opportunities in the field of STEM.

“Through working with Girl Up to broaden the understanding about STEM pathways, Booz Allen can play a role in helping to inspire the next generation of female data scientists, engineers, and astronauts,” said Anastasia Dellaccio, a senior manager on the firm’s Community Impact and Philanthropy Team and organizer of the Girl Up partnership. “It’s an investment in our future pipeline and an investment in our communities around us to ensure that girls everywhere have accessible opportunities in education and jobs of the future.”

Learn more about careers at Booz Allen, the firm’s Community Impact work, and how Booz Allen supports women.