SHE JUST COMPLETED HER JUNIOR YEAR AT ORLANDO SCIENCE SCHOOLS, BUT SHE’S ALREADY A PUBLISHED AUTHOR. HER BOOK, STEM EMPOWERING WOMEN IS AVAILABLE NOW ON AMAZON. AND JOINING ME TODAY, SHRIKAR VELA, IS LIVE HERE IN THE STUDIO THIS MORNING. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME ON I APPRECIATE IT. IT’S SO GREAT TO HAVE YOU. SO ACCOMPLISHED AT SUCH A YOUNG AGE HERE IN HIGH SCHOOL, A JUNIOR IN HIGH SCHOOL JUST FINISHED YOUR JUNIOR YEAR. SO TELL US, HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE IDEA TO WRITE THE BOOK? YEAH. SO THE IDEA TO WRITE MY BOOK, HONESTLY, AS GROWING UP, I’VE ALWAYS BEEN REALLY INTERESTED IN STEM. AND JUST, LIKE, GETTING TO LEARN ABOUT THESE WOMEN IN STEM MYSELF. IT’S ALWAYS BEEN REALLY INSPIRING FOR ME. AND I WANTED TO BE ABLE TO KIND OF LIKE GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY. THAT TAUGHT ME MY MORALS AND LIKE CULTURAL VALUES. SO YOU REALLY JUST I WROTE THIS BOOK OUT OF LIKE, ALL FOR THESE WOMEN AND TO BE ABLE TO INSPIRE YOUNG GIRLS THAT, YOU KNOW, HAVE THE SAME INTEREST OR LOOK LIKE THESE WOMEN TO BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, FOLLOW THEIR DREAMS AND PURSUE STEM AS WELL. HOW WONDERFUL. SO TELL ME IN THE BOOK, THEN WHO ARE WE GOING TO BE READING ABOUT? WHO ARE YOU FEATURING HERE IN THE BOOK? SO MY BOOK SURROUNDS TEN, LIKE, REALLY INSPIRING FEMALE STEM LEADERS WHO OVERCAME REALLY BIG OBSTACLES TO ACHIEVE THE THINGS THAT THEY HAVE TODAY. I TRIED TO MAKE IT REALLY INCLUSIVE AND FEATURED THESE LADIES FROM ALL AROUND THE WORLD, BECAUSE I WANTED LITTLE GIRLS TO BE ABLE TO KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE LIKE THEM HAVE BEEN ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, LIKE MASTER THROUGH BIG OBSTACLES AND CHALLENGES IN THEIR LIFE. AND SO, SO CAN THEY, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN PURSUE STEM AS WELL. AND EVEN THOUGH IT’S SUCH A MALE DOMINATED FIELD, LIKE THERE’S REALLY A LOT OF GAP FOR US TO STEP IN AND, YOU KNOW, MAKE OURSELVES KNOWN IN SUCH A FIELD EVER. HAVE YOU ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTED IN STEM EVER SINCE YOU WERE A LITTLE GIRL? YEAH. STEM HAS ALWAYS JUST BEEN LIKE A NATURAL PART OF ME. YOU KNOW, I MYSELF HAVE BEEN INSPIRED FROM THESE WOMEN, WHICH IS ANOTHER REASON THAT I CHOSE TO WRITE SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THEM GROWING UP. YOU KNOW, EVEN IF IT WOULD JUST BE LIKE SEARCHING THEM UP ON GOOGLE OR STUFF LIKE THAT. I’VE ALWAYS BEEN SURROUNDED IN A STEM COMMUNITY, GOING TO A STEM SCHOOL AND STUFF, SO STEM HAS ALWAYS BEEN A REALLY BIG INTEREST FOR ME. YOU KNOW, JUST GETTING TO KNOW, LIKE, WHAT MORE CAN WE DO? AND THERE’S NEVER REALLY A STOP SIGN IN STEM. YOU KNOW, WE JUST KEEP ADVANCING. SO IT’S ALWAYS REALLY BEEN SUCH AN OPEN AND EXCITING FIELD FOR ME. OH, ABSOLUTELY. ABSOLUTELY. AND YOUR DAD IS HERE TODAY. SO WHAT IS WHAT DOES YOUR FAMILY SAY ABOUT YOUR BOOK AND YOUR FRIENDS? I’M SURE THEY’RE PROBABLY SO PROUD OF YOU. THEY’RE SUPER SUPPORTIVE. I’M SO GLAD TO HAVE, LIKE, THE COMMUNITY. I DO THE COMMUNITY OF MY FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND ESPECIALLY ALL THE EDUCATORS THAT, YOU KNOW, TAUGHT ME AND ALLOWED ME TO PURSUE MY DREAMS IN STEM. IT’S DEFINITELY LIKE REALLY GREAT KNOWING TO HAVE LIKE, ALL THESE PEOPLE SUPPORTING YOU BEHIND YOUR BACK. AND NONE OF THIS WOULD BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT, YOU KNOW, ALL THE GENEROUS PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN SUPPORTING MY BOOK AND PUSHING ME ON THIS JOURNEY THROUGH. I WROTE THE BOOK, BUT IT’S DEFINITELY A COMMUNITY EFFORT, AND THANKS TO ALL THESE PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN HELPING ME, I’M LIKE, GLAD TO BE HERE TODAY. ABSOLUTELY. AND SO WHAT ABOUT ALL THE PROCEEDS TO THE BOOK? WHERE DO WHERE DO THOSE FUNDS GO TO? YEAH. SO ALL 100% OF THE PROCEEDS FROM MY BOOK GO TO FUNDING TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION FOR UNDERPRIVILEGED LITTLE GIRLS IN INDIA. SO THE DIGITAL DIVIDE IS REALLY BIG IN INDIA. AND EQUALITY IN EDUCATION IS SOMETHING THAT’S STILL YET TO BE ACHIEVED. AND UNDER THAT, NO, I JUST HOPE TO, YOU KNOW, PLAY MY PART AND DO WHATEVER I CAN FOR THESE GIRLS. SO THANKS TO ALL THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE GENEROUSLY, YOU KNOW, PURCHASED MY BOOK AND SUPPORTED IT. AS OF RIGHT NOW, WE’RE ABLE TO DONATE 25 UNITS OF KEYBOARDS AND MOUSES TO UNDERPRIVILEGED SCHOOLS IN INDIA RIGHT NOW. SO THAT’S GREAT. I’M SO HAPPY TO HEAR THAT. I’M SURE THIS IS NOT YOUR LAST BOOK. I’M SURE IT’S NOT. AND EXCITED FOR YOUR FUTURE. GOOD LUCK AND ALL THAT YOU DO AS YOU HEAD INTO YOUR SENIOR YEAR. THANK YO