'Girls just need to know that you can': 9-year-old dreamer on STEM, discovery

This video is part of The Southern Girls Project, an ongoing effort exploring the lives of girls in the South today.

Matilda Saulnier, a 9-year-old from Mid-City, is a seasoned member of Electric Girls, a local nonprofit empowering girls in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

Matilda dreams of pushing boundaries of discovery in STEM.

"I always wondered, in the future, if we'd have flying cars, or have propellers on cars, or solar-powered wings," Matilda said. "Sometimes I get out a paper and draw out my ideas."

She hopes to do what no person has done before, so that other girls will realize that STEM isn't limited to men. In 2016, the National Science Board reported that women count for half of the total U.S. college-educated workforce, but only 29 percent of the science and engineering workforce.

"It's always men that do science, men that do sports, but I think it's good for girls to do it," Matilda said. 

Matilda said she feels empowered by the skills she's acquired through Electric Girls. One of her favorite pastimes is sharing with other girls what she has learned.

"It makes me feel independent. It makes me feel strong," she said. "Girls just need to know that you can."

- Video and story by Taylor Galmiche, a recent Loyola University graduate and Southern girl from Picayune, Miss., for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune.

Do you know a girl we should talk to, or want to find out more about The Southern Girls Project? Email us at southerngirlsproject@nola.com or click here for more information. The project is a collaboration with journalists throughout the South: See other work on the "Rebelle" Tumblr page.  

Source: 'Girls just need to know that you can': 9-year-old dreamer on STEM, discovery