You Can’t Be What You Can’t See

By Rachael Powles '22, April 2, 2021

Women in STEM making strides at Ithaca College.

(Photo by: Motortion Films/Shutterstock)

On March 16, IC’s Student Leadership Institute hosted an installment of Women Leaders: Leading in a Diverse World, an alumni panel titled “Women in STEM.” The four panelists represented a wide array of occupations within the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. Guests had the opportunity to ask the panelists direct questions about their careers and how their time at IC shaped their lives.

The women on the panel said the roads they followed to their STEM careers were not always obvious at first. Panelist Katharine Ahrens ’15 began her undergraduate degree majoring in piano performance in the School of Music, but quickly felt burned out.

“I thought math was for geniuses, and I wasn’t a genius, so I thought I couldn’t possibly major in it, but Ithaca proved me wrong.”

Katharine Ahrens ’15

“My piano teacher told me to take the afternoon and just do whatever I wanted to do, so I went to the library and picked up a calculus book. It was definitely a sign!” said Ahrens, who recently completed her PhD at North Carolina State University. “I thought math was for geniuses, and I wasn’t a genius, so I thought I couldn’t possibly major in it, but Ithaca proved me wrong.”

Marine biologist Cynthia Becker ’18 had a similar experience. During her time at IC, she majored in biology and bassoon performance.

“I had a roommate at the time who was a biology major, and I was watching her bring in all this cool stuff she was learning. I’d always loved biology, so I added on a major and eventually ended up with a dual degree.”

“During my time at Ithaca, I got to be exposed to a variety of different disciplines. I really appreciated being able to hear how people in different disciplines, scientific or otherwise, tackled challenges. That definitely has translated into my work now.”

Lee Ann Hill ’13

In her four and a half years at IC, Becker conducted research with associate professor Te-Wen Lo in genetics and eventually pivoted into research for marine biology. Becker is now a PhD candidate at MIT specializing in biological oceanography and coral reef microbiology.

All of the panelists expressed deep gratitude for the liberal arts education IC provided them, citing the importance of communication skills in STEM fields that are an integral part of an Ithaca College education.

“During my time at Ithaca, I got to be exposed to a variety of different disciplines,” said panelist Lee Ann Hill ’13, a public health researcher who majored in environmental studies at IC. “I really appreciated being able to hear how people in different disciplines, scientific or otherwise, tackled challenges. That definitely has translated into my work now. Being able to communicate with people in other disciplines is really important to be able to solve real-world problems.”

“You can’t be what you can’t see. I didn’t see a lot of women in STEM when I was younger, so it’s great to highlight these amazing women out there making things happen. It’s inspiring to think that in a few years, that could be me too.”

Beth Ryan ’22, co-founder IC Women in STEM

Kaitlyn DeHority ’16, an aspiring physician currently completing her residency, echoed this sentiment. She majored in music with an outside field and chemistry and said she was also grateful for the connections she was able to make during her undergraduate experience.

“The chemistry department was small, so I got to know the faculty really well, and I was able to get research experience early on. It was a really tight-knit community,” said DeHority.

Members of the newly formed student organization IC Women in STEM made up the majority of the Zoom audience. Club co-founder vice president Beth Ryan ’22 hopes this is the start of many opportunities for women at Ithaca College to hear directly from alumni working in STEM fields.

“You can’t be what you can’t see,” said Ryan. “I didn’t see a lot of women in STEM when I was younger, so it’s great to highlight these amazing women out there making things happen. It’s inspiring to think that in a few years, that could be me too.”