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About 100 female high school students from the Gainesville and Hall County school systems were able to gain inspiration for their future careers during the American Heart Association's (AHA) second annual Northeast Georgia STEM Goes Red event March 27 at the University of North Georgia's (ǧÃŬAV) Gainesville Campus. CVS Pharmacy served as the national sponsor, while ǧÃŬAV and Brenau University sponsored the event locally.

Dr. Betsy Grunch, a board-certified neurosurgeon and social media influencer known as "Lady Spine Doc," shared about her journey into a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) career. Students were then able to learn from ǧÃŬAV and Brenau faculty about the variety of STEM careers in breakout sessions focusing on information systems, kinesiology, nursing, physics, and poultry science. They closed the day with speed mentoring, where they were able to be paired with women in STEM careers for short group conversations.

Grunch recounted how her mother was paralyzed in an accident while serving as a Hall County Sheriff's Office deputy when Grunch was about to enter high school. Inspired by her mother's care team, Grunch became a certified nurse assistant in high school and gained a burning desire to work in neurosurgery. She took this path to understand how someone could lose the ability to walk and how she could find ways to help others facing similar situations.

The neurosurgeon has more than 5 million followers on her social media accounts after a video she posted in September 2021 about being a woman in the neurosurgery field went viral. Previously not an avid social media user, Grunch has embraced the platforms to demystify medical information, inspire other women to work in STEM and show that work-life balance is possible as she often includes her daughter and son in her videos.

Grunch, who works at The Longstreet Clinic in Gainesville, Georgia, performs surgeries in Northeast Georgia Medical Center Gainesville, where she was born, and thrives on being able to give back to the community in which she grew up. She encouraged the girls in attendance that they, too, can break perceived barriers.

"Don't let stereotypes hold you back," Grunch said. "You belong in STEM."

She also advised the girls to learn from failure, be advocates for themselves and understand the importance of a support system.

"Surround yourself with people who will inspire you," Grunch said.

Dr. Denise McWilliams, assistant professor of computer science, led the information systems breakout session.

"It was an incredible experience to help these high school girls discover the possibilities of a career in information systems and STEM. I was thrilled to see their curiosity and creativity sparked by the activities we did, such as learning about business applications, sentiment analysis and generative AI," McWilliams said. "One of the highlights was watching them work together to analyze the contents of boxes of M&Ms. I was impressed by their enthusiasm and engagement as they discovered practical applications of technology in business."

Kaylee Lopez-Tovar, a senior at East Hall High, plans to become a nurse and is set to enroll at ǧÃŬAV's Gainesville Campus this fall. She was thankful to hear Grunch open up about her own struggles, and, for Lopez-Tovar, it was a welcome chance to visit campus.

"This makes me more certain about coming to ǧÃŬAV," Lopez-Tovar said.

Marlene Rebollar, a senior at Chestatee High, said STEM Goes Red affirmed her desired career path. She wants to be a radiology technologist.

"This event really kept me wanting to go into the medical field because there are so many opportunities," Rebollar said.

JulieAnn Hamilton, development director in Northeast Georgia for the American Heart Association, was grateful to be able to organize an event that allows girls to envision their futures.

"The goal is to show high school girls what is possible and what it's like to be in a STEM career. It's a great way for them to do something fun and see the possibilities in the realm of STEM," Hamilton said. "Hopefully we help these young ladies understand that hard work and determination, setting goals and working toward them works and they can be successful."

Students in attendance came from Cherokee Bluff High, Chestatee High, East Hall High, Flowery Branch High, Gainesville High, Ivester Early College, Johnson High, North Hall High, and West Hall High.